m 


THE  YANKEES  OF  THE  EAST 


BOOKS  BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR : 


THE  CAPITALS  OF  SPANISH  AMERICA. 
THE  LAND  OF  THE  NIHILIST. 
VENEZUELA  ;   THE   LAND   WHERE  IT'S  ALWAYS 
SUMMER,  ETC.,  ETC. 


THE  YANKEES  OF  THE 
EAST 

SKETCHES  OF  MODERN  JAPAN 


BY 

WILLIAM  ELEROY  CURTIS 


VOLUME  I 


NEW  YORK 
STONE  &  KIMBALL 

MDCCCXCVI 


COPYRIGHT,   1896,  BY 
STONE  AND  KiMBALL 


TO 

VICTOR   F.  LAWSON 

THE   PRINCE   OF   EMPLOYERS,  THIS   BOOK    IS  AFFEC- 
TIONATELY  DEDICATED 


CONTENTS 


I.   A   WORD   TO   THE   WISE  I 

II.   THE   GOVERNMENT  OF   JAPAN  2J 

III.  THE   IMPERIAL   FAMILY  6l 

IV.  THE   TYCOON   IN   SECLUSION  107 
V.  SOME  SUGGESTIONS  ABOUT  SHOPPING  124 

VI.   THE   FOREIGN   COMMERCE   OF   JAPAN  138 

VII.   RAILWAYS   AND   'RIKISHAS  l68 
VIII.   THE   POLICE,   THE   COURTS   AND  THE 

PRISONS  200 

IX.   MARRIAGE   AND   DIVORCE  233 

X.  JAPANESE   JOURNALISM  268 

XI.   CONCERNING  TRADE   AND   INVESTMENTS      2Q3 


List  of  Illustrations. 

Volume  I. 


FUJAIMA,  THE  SACRED  MOUNTAIN       .      .    Frontispiece 
A  JAPANESE  TOMBSTONE      .      .      .      To  face  page  10 

MARQUIS  ITO,   PRIME  MINISTER 41 

A  JAPANESE  RESIDENCE 59 

THE  PRINCE  IMPERIAL 69 

"THE  BUND,"   YOKOHAMA 80 

THE  WALL  OF  THE  IMPERIAL  PALACE,  TOKYO  .  98 

GATEWAY  TO  THE  IMPERIAL  PALACE,  TOKYO    .  103 

APPROACH  TO  THE  GREAT  TEMPLES  AT  NIKKO  .  107 

THE  SACRED  BRIDGE  AT  NIKKO 109 

RECENT  PORTRAIT  OF  THE  EMPEROR      .     .     .  113 

PAPPENBURG  ISLAND,  NAGASAKI  HARBOR     .     .  116 

A  DRY-GOODS  SHOP 124 

THE  GREAT  CASTLE  AT  NAGOYA 130 

THE  OLD-FASHIONED  WAY  OF  SPINNING      .     .  146 

WRESTLERS  READY  TO  SPRING 197 

ENTRANCE  TO  THE  SHRINE  OF  IEYASU,  NIKKO     .  205 

TOMB  OF  IEYASU,  THE  GREAT  SHOGUN       .     .  211 

MADAME  CHRYSANTHEMUM  AT  HOME     .     .     .  233 

THE  OLD  WAY 251 

THE  NEW  WAY 253 

THE  NEW-FASHIONED  WAY  OF  SPINNING  —  COT- 
TON FACTORY  AT  OSAKA 276 

A  JAPANESE  JUNK 297 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 


i 

A  Word  to  the  Wise 

That  there  may  be  no  misunderstanding 
as  to  the  motive  of  this  contribution  to  the  al- 
ready voluminous  literature  concerning  Japan,  I 
will  print  the  moral  at  the  beginning  instead  of 
at  the  end  of  the  story :  which  is  to  encourage 
every  man,  woman  and  child,  twelve  years  old 
and  upward,  who  have  the  time  and  money,  to 
visit  the  land  of  fans  and  flowers  before  its  orig- 
inal picturesqueness  is  entirely  overcast  with  the 
commonplace  and  colorless  customs  of  modern 
civilization. 

The  history  of  humankind  does  not  furnish  a 
stronger  contrast  than  appears  between  the  Japan 
upon  which  the  sun  of  the  nineteenth  century 
rose,  and  the  Japan  upon  which  it  sets.  The 
great  Tycoon,  who  ruled  the  empire  with  such 
splendor  and  arrogance,  has  fled  for  shelter  to 
the  old  castle  at  Shizuoka,  while  upon  the  throne 
sits  a  wise,  prudent  and  progressive  emperor, 
who  voluntarily  surrendered  the  despotic  power 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

that  had  been  exercised  by  his  ancestors  for 
twenty-five  hundred  years,  and  offered  his  sub- 
jects a  constitution  and  a  parliament.  The  dai- 
myo,  or  feudal  prince  of  ancient  times,  in  his 
gorgeous  robes  of  gold  brocade,  his  jeweled 
swords  and  grotesque  armor,  has  vanished;  and 
in  his  place  appears  a  very  elegant  and  courte- 
ous gentleman,  who  plays  polo  and  poker,  and 
visits  his  club  after  dinner  each  evening  in  a 
piccadilly  collar,  a  Tuxedo  jacket  and  patent 
leather  shoes,  to  read  the  periodicals  from  Lon- 
don and  New  York,  and  discuss  the  fluctuations 
in  the  rice  and  stock  markets.  The  stately  sa- 
murai, who  used  to  commit  suicide  when  he  was 
insulted,  has  become  the  energetic  man  of  af- 
fairs, who  directs  the  political  and  financial  pol- 
icy of  the  empire  from  the  cabinet  offices  and 
the  parliament  house,  commands  the  army  and 
the  navy,  edits  the  newspapers,  superintends  the 
schools,  manages  the  railways  and  steamship 
lines,  the  banks  and  manufactories,  and  is  guid- 
ing with  great  sagacity  the  social  and  industrial 
revolution  that  has  possessed  the  people.  A 
million  images  of  Buddha  have  been  shipped  as 
bric-a-brac  to  Europe  and  America,  and  a  law 
that  makes  education  compulsory  has  brought 
three  million  children  into  free  public  schools 
and  kindergartens,  where  they  are  given  a  thor- 
ough practical  training,  with  modern  text-books 
and  scientific  apparatus. 
2 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

Sunshine  and  joy  may  be  found  in  every  cor- 
ner of  this  adorable  old  world,  but  they  have 
not  been  evenly  distributed.  Japan  has  more 
than  her  share.  No  country  on  either  hemi- 
sphere offers  greater  attractions  to  students  and 
ordinary  travelers,  while  to  merchants  and  man- 
ufacturers it  affords  opportunities  for  trade  and 
investment  that  do  not  exist  elsewhere. 

You  can  reach  Japan  from  the  United  States 
by  four  steamship  lines.  That  which  connects 
with  the  Canadian  Pacific  railroad  at  Vancouver 
crosses  the  Pacific  to  Yokohama  in  twelve  days, 
taking  the  northern  route,  which  is  cold,  stormy 
and  afflicted  with  frequent  fogs ;  there  are  also 
steamers  connecting  with  the  Northern  Pacific 
railroad  at  Tacoma,  but  they  are  slow,  and  not 
very  comfortable  for  passengers.  The  Pacific 
Mail  and  the  Oriental  §r  Occidental  steamers 
sail  from  San  Francisco.  They  usually  take 
from  fourteen  to  sixteen  days  in  making  the 
voyage,  and  every  other  steamer,  which  touches 
at  Honolulu,  requires  twenty  days ;  but  the  lat- 
ter is  by  far  the  most  agreeable  and  attractive 
route,  because  you  are  always  pretty  sure  of  get- 
ting good  weather  and  a  smooth  sea. 

The  Grand  hotel  at  Yokohama  stands  at  the 
gateway  of  the  east,  and  its  long  balcony  faces 
the  rising  sun.  There  one  can  observe  every- 
thing that  enters  and  everything  that  leaves  Japan, 
and  a  tide  of  people  is  ebbing  and  flowing  in- 
3 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

cessantly  with  the  arrival  and  departure  of  the 
steamers  that  furnish  communication  with  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth.  Upon  that  balcony 
are  samples  of  the  citizenship  of  every  civilized 
nation,  mingling  their  dialects  with  the  music  of 
a  native  band  that  plays  Sousa's  popular  music, 
and  is  always  required  to  repeat  the  "Liberty 
Bell,"  the  "Washington  Post  March,"  and  other 
familiar  numbers. 

The  infallible  Britons,  usually  the  most  num- 
erous, have  been  able  to  fix  the  etiquette  and 
the  habits  of  the  place.  They  have  fastened 
their  accent  and  their  idioms  upon  the  common 
vocabulary.  Their  commercial  travelers  are  for- 
ever in  evidence,  while  representatives  of  Amer- 
ican manufacturers  are  few  and  far  between. 
The  newspaper  fraternity  is  represented  by  cor- 
respondents of  English,  French  and  American 
papers.  There  are  usually  several  naval  officers 
bound  outward  to  join  their  ships  or  homeward 
after  a  cruise  in  the  Asiatic  seas,  and  diplomat- 
ists en  route  to  or  from  their  stations.  The 
wives  of  the  navies  of  all  nations  make  their 
temporary  home  there  while  their  husbands  are 
in  the  east,  because  of  the  social  attractions  and 
the  convenient  location  of  Yokohama ;  and  sev- 
eral people  with  money  and  leisure  live  there 
continually  because  they  like  the  climate  and 
the  customs  of  Japan. 

But  the  names  upon  the  register  of  the  Grand 
4 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

hotel  are  mostly  those  of  tourists,  globe-trotters 
and  curio  buyers  from  England  and  America, 
and  some  of  them  are  queer  folk.  As  a  young 
lady  of  limited  experience  remarked,  "It  does 
seem  as  if  all  the  odd  people  in  the  world  were 
traveling."  You  seldom  miss  Galusha  Ruggles, 
who  asserts  his  Americanism  on  every  occasion, 
or  Miss  Lincrusta  Walton,  who  is  chaperoned 
by  his  self-reliant  wife.  Lord  Deliverus,  with 
his  broad  a's  and  large  feet,  always  occupies  a 
great  deal  of  attention ;  a  French  marquis  with 
vehement  gestures  and  incessant  chatter  sits  at 
the  next  table,  and  just  beyond  him  is  a  Russian 
boyar  with  big  rings  and  ill-fitting  garments. 
The  Germans  are  clannish,  and  cling  together, 
and  along  toward  the  end  of  the  dinner  hour 
you  hear  "Hoch!"  "Hoch!"  as  they  drink  to 
the  Fatherland.  The  Hindoos  wear  combs  in 
their  blue-black  hair,  and  rings  in  their  ears. 
The  Chinese  mandarins  are  robed  in  the  finest 
texture  and  the  most  delicate  shades  of  silk. 
The  orthodox  evening  dress  for  summer  is  a 
white  suit  of  duck  much  like  those  worn  by 
the  cadets  at  West  Point  and  Annapolis,  with 
the  jacket  cut  very  short  and  a  plaited  belt  of 
black,  blue  or  scarlet  silk.  Their  shoes  are  of 
white  canvas,  chalked  with  great  care,  while  the 
duck  is  starched  so  stiff  as  to  look  very  uncom- 
fortable. 

Three  months  and  $1,000  are  sufficient  to  see 
5 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

Japan  if  you  are  able  to  resist  the  temptation  to 
buy  silks  ancL  bric-a-brac.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
go  everywhere.  A  few  days  in  Yokohama;  a 
week  or  two  in  Tokyo,  which  is  only  eighteen 
miles  distant,  and  abounds  in  interests ;  a  pil- 
grimage to  the  betempled  groves  of  Nikko, 
which  is  three  or  four  hours  by  rail  from  the 
capital;  a  few  days  at  Miyanoshita,  a  famous 
summer  resort  on  the  breast  of  Fujiyama,  the 
sacred  mountain ;  thence  by  rail  to  Kyoto,  the 
ancient  capital,  a  journey  of  fifteen  hours,  where 
one  or  two  weeks  can  be  spent  profitably ;  a  side 
trip  to  Nara,  a  hallowed  spot  to  believers  in 
Buddhism ;  a  week  in  Osaka,  which  is  the  Chi- 
cago of  Japan,  a  miracle  of  progress  and  indus- 
try ;  and  a  day  or  two  at  Kobe,  the  central  sea- 
port, will  give  one  a  very  fair  idea  of  ancient 
and  modern  Japan.  Then  at  Kobe  the  traveler 
should  take  a  steamer  through  the  inland  sea, 
which  is  beautiful  but  has  been  over-praised,  to 
Nagasaki,  the  farther  end  of  the  empire.  From 
there  the  steamers  sail  for  China,  India  and  Eu- 
rope, and  a  trip  to  Shanghai  would  be  profitable. 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  competition  in  freights 
between  the  United  States  and  Japan.  Two 
new  steamship  lines  have  recently  started  with 
the  expectation  of  a  boom  in  trade,  and  another 
is  promised.  For  nearly  thirty-five  years  the 
Pacific  Mail  Steamship  company  had  a  monop- 
oly of  the  business.  Then,  when  the  Canadian 
6 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

Pacific  railroad  was  finished  that  corporation  put 
on  what  is  known  as  the  Empress  line.  There 
was  a  fight  at  first  for  cargoes,  but  the  two  com- 
panies finally  reconciled  matters  and  found  there 
was  freight  enough  for  both  at  good  rates.  Then 
the  Central  Pacific  railroad  chartered  four  ves- 
sels that  had  been  operated  by  the  White  Star 
company  on  the  transatlantic  line,  put  new  en- 
gines into  them  and  modern  improvements,  and 
has  been  running  them  with  profit.  More  re- 
cently the  Northern  Pacific  company,  in  antici- 
pation of  the  increased  trade  that  everybody 
thinks  is  coming,  chartered  some  of  the  old  Cun- 
ard  ships,  and  is  operating  them  under  new 
names.  The  Oregon  Railway  and  Navigation 
company  has  also  entered  into  competition  for 
some  of  the  business,  with  steamers  chartered 
from  a  London  company,  which  have  been  run- 
ning to  Hong  Kong  and  Shanghai,  and  the 
Great  Northern  railway,  sooner  or  later,  will  put 
on  a  fleet.  President  Hill  was  about  to  let  con- 
tracts for  three  beautiful  ships  when  the  hard 
times  set  in  about  two  years  ago,  and  reluctantly 
postponed  the  work  until  financial  affairs  are 
brighter. 

It  costs  about  $40,000  to  take  a  first-class  pas- 
senger ship  across  the  Pacific  and  back,  the  cost 
increasing  rapidly  with  the  speed,  as  coal  is  the 
chief  item.  It  needs  twice  as  much  coal  to 
drive  the  same  ship  at  a  speed  of  fifteen  knots 
7 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

an  hour  as  would  be  required  for  ten  knots. 
That  is  the  reason  the  Pacific  Mail  company  de- 
clined a  government  subsidy.  The  law  required 
them  to  make  fifteen  knots  an  hour,  but  the  pay 
was  only  $i  a  mile  one  way,  or  about  $5,600  for 
the  voyage,  which  would  not  cover  the  addition- 
al expense  for  fuel.  It  costs  more  to  make  a 
voyage  to  Japan  than  to  come  home,  because 
coal  is  $7  a  ton  in  San  Francisco,  while  it  is 
only  $2  and  $2.25  in  Japan. 

Most  of  the  outward  freight  is  flour.  Most 
of  the  return  freight  is  raw  silk,  tea,  opium  and 
rice.  The  latter  is  taken  for  ballast  when  neces- 
sary. Most  of  the  tea  goes  to  Chicago ;  most  of 
the  silk  to  Paterson,  N.  J.,  and  to  Providence, 
R.  I.  The  rice  is  all  consigned  to  San  Francisco. 

The  shipments  of  flour  are  increasing  rapidly 
with  low  prices.  There  were  16,000  barrels  in 
the  hold  of  the  steamer  in  which  I  sailed  and 
it  usually  makes  up  nine-tenths  of  the  cargo. 
The  steamers  carry  little  machinery  as  freight — 
only  now  and  then  a  rice-crushing  machine  or 
some  railroad  supplies.  It  is  not  referred  to 
upon  the  printed  freight  schedules,  but  special 
rates  are  made  when  it  is  offered — at  $8  or  gio 
a  ton,  according  to  the  cubic  space  occupied. 
Heavy  shipments  of  machinery  are  made  in  sail- 
ing vessels. 

Opium  is  the  most  profitable  freight,  and 
large  amounts  are  brought  in  on  nearly  every 
8 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

steamer  to  San  Francisco.  The  shipments  are 
increasing  and  have  almost  doubled  since  the 
duty  was  reduced  from  $12  to  $6  a  pound.  Part 
of  this  increase  is  due  to  the  suppression  of 
smuggling,  but  as  the  number  of  Chinese  in  the 
United  States  is  decreasing,  it  is  evident  that  the 
consumption  is  extending  among  other  classes 
of  people.  The  freight  rate  on  opium  is  $8  a 
box,  or  $160  a  ton.  It  comes  from  Macao,  a 
Portuguese  settlement  opposite  Hong  Kong,  as 
the  Chinese  government  does  not  permit  it  to  be 
exported  from  its  ports.  Nor  are  Chinamen 
allowed  to  import  opium  into  the  United  States, 
so  it  is  all  consigned  to  a  certain  banking  firm 
in  San  Francisco  which  is  supposed  to  be  acting 
for  the  Six  Companies  in  that  city. 

Another  curious  freight  shipped  exclusively 
from  San  Francisco  to  China  is  "  fish  bones," 
which  pays  $20  a  ton.  It  is  sent  in  large  boxes 
consigned  to  the  Tung  Wah  hospital  at  Hong 
Kong,  but  the  boxes  really  contain  the  bodies  of 
dead  Chinamen  sent  home  for  burial.  Most  of 
the  coolies  who  come  to  the  United  States  are 
under  the  care  of  the  Six  Companies,  who  sign 
a  contract  guaranteeing  to  return  the  bones  of 
the  dead  for  burial  with  their  ancestors  in  the 
celestial  empire,  and  the  Tung  Wah  hospital  acts 
as  their  agent  in  carrying  out  the  agreement. 
They  are  shipped  as  "  fish  bones  "  in  order  to 
evade  the  rule  of  the  steamship  companies  that  im- 
9 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

poses  full  first-class  passenger  rates  for  the  bodies 
of  the  dead.. 

Nearly  every  ship  leaving  San  Francisco  for 
China  carries  among  the  steerage  passengers  a 
number  of  invalids  who  hope  to  live  until  they 
reach  their  native  country,  but  several  usually 
die  on  every  voyage.  There  is  an  agreement 
between  the  steamships  and  the  Six  Companies 
which  forbids  the  burial  of  these  bodies  at  sea, 
and  the  latter  provides  coffins  of  the  peculiar 
Chinese  pattern  for  use  in  such  emergencies. 
They  are  made  of  slabs,  the  first  cut  of  the  log, 
so  that  the  sides  and  bottom  and  top  are  rounded. 
A  dozen  or  more  are  carried  on  each  ship  and 
the  surgeon  is  furnished  with  a  supply  of  em- 
balming fluid. 

When  a  Chinaman  dies  at  sea  the  surgeon 
embalms  the  body,  which  is  then  placed  in  a 
coffin,  sealed  up  and  lowered  into  the  hold. 
The  expense  is  paid  by  voluntary  contributions 
from  the  other  Chinese  passengers,  the  crew  and 
the  stewards  of  the  ship,  all  of  whom  belong  to 
that  race.  No  subscription  paper  is  passed 
around,  but  a  pan  containing  Chinese  sugar  is 
placed  beside  the  coffin.  Every  Chinaman  on 
board  drops  in  his  contribution,  from  a  dime  to 
a  dollar,  and  takes  a  piece  of  sugar  from  the  pan, 
which  is  supposed  to  bring  him  good  luck  and 
prolong  his  life.  When  the  ship  reaches  Hong 
Kong  the  coffins  and  the  belongings  of  the 
10 


A   JAPANESE    TOMBSTONE. 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

dead  are  delivered  to  the  Tung  Wah  hospital, 
which  disposes  of  them  to  the  surviving  friends 
in  China.  Every  Chinaman  in  the  United  States 
is  supposed  to  be  registered  at  the  Tung  Wah 
hospital  and  with  the  Six  Companies  at  San 
Francisco. 

The  officers  of  the  Pacific  Mail  steamships 
say  that  Chinamen  make  the  best  sailors  and  ser- 
vants on  board  ship  of  any  race  in  the  world. 
They  never  strike,  they  never  complain,  and  if 
any  one  of  them  wants  a  day  off  he  always  sup- 
plies a  substitute  at  his  own  expense.  Most  of 
the  crews  have  been  on  the  steamers  continuously 
ever  since  they  started — some  of  them  for  twenty 
years.  They  are  honest  and  careful  and  save 
their  money,  which  they  send  to  their  families  in 
San  Francisco  or  China  as  often  as  they  are  paid. 
Some  of  them  have  business  ashore  and  are 
worth  considerable  property.  Ah  Mon,  a  dining- 
room  boy  on  the  steamer  City  of  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
has  a  ranch  near  San  Francisco,  where  his  wife 
raises  vegetables  for  market.  Chee  Sigh  has  a 
little  shop  in  Hong  Kong.  Ah  Pat  has  a  wife 
at  Feechau,  two  days'  journey  from  Canton,  to 
whom  he  sends  all  his  wages.  Ah  Ting,  the 
engineer's  boy,  has  a  frozen  smile — a  face  like 
those  upon  the  statues  of  Buddha — and  a  wife 
near  Canton  whom  he  hasn't  seen  for  five  years, 
but  he  sends  her  his  wages  every  pay-day,  and 
she  is  keeping  the  money  for  his  old  age.  Ting 
ii 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

has  been  with  the  ship  ever  since  it  has  been 
running  and  -has  not  missed  a  voyage.  Once 
the  company  decided  to  dispense  with  Chinese 
servants  and  substitute  Japanese.  All  the  China 
boys  were  discharged,  but  Ting  would  not  go. 
They  drove  him  off  the  vessel  twice  and  thought 
they  had  got  rid  of  him,  but  the  next  morning 
after  sailing  the  steward  found  him  in  the  pantry 
washing  dishes  and  he  has  been  there  ever  since. 
In  crossing  to  Japan  the  Pacific  Mail  steam- 
ers pass  very  near  the  island  that  is  celebrated  as 
the  scene  of  the  adventures  of  those  intrepid 
navigators,  Mrs.  Aleshine  and  Mrs.  Leeks,  in 
Frank  R.  Stockton's  novel.  It  is  a  coral  forma- 
tion of  recent  date  and  known  on  the  map  as 
Midway  island,  or  Brooks'  island,  having  been 
discovered  by  Captain  Brooks  of  the  United 
States  steamship  Cambria  as  late  as  1859.  It  is 
about  seven  miles  long  and  two  miles  wide  and 
almost  entirely  barren,  although  there  has  sprung 
up  of  late  years  a  growth  of  low  brush  from 
seeds  probably  brought  there  by  the  birds. 
There  are  several  pretty  bays  protected  by  coral 
reefs,  but  the  bottom  of  the  sea  in  that  neighbor- 
hood is  constantly  changing  because  of  sub- 
terranean disturbances  and  the  industry  of  coral 
insects,  so  that  navigation  is  dangerous.  Captain 
Brooks  took  possession  of  the  island  in  the  name 
of  the  United  States,  and  the  Pacinc  Mail  com- 
pany established  a  depot  there,  with  a  store  of 
12 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

coal  and  other  supplies  for  the  benefit  of  dis- 
tressed vessels.  A  house  was  built  and  a  Kam- 
chatkan  left  in  charge  as  custodian,  but  he  be- 
came tired  of  his  lonely  life  and  ran  away  at 
the  first  opportunity.  A  log-book  was  placed  in 
the  house  and  visiting  skippers  were  requested 
to  register  their  names  and  vessels,  but  the  hos- 
pitality it  offered  was  abused  by  whalers  who 
stopped  on  their  way  to  the  North  Pacific.  They 
not  only  helped  themselves  to  the  coal  and  pro- 
visions, but  even  tore  down  the  house  and  used 
the  timbers  for  fuel.  A  few  years  ago  an  Amer- 
ican man-of-war  visited  the  place  and  found  it 
stripped  of  everything  movable. 

The  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Steam  Naviga- 
tion company  of  London,  which  is  said  to  have 
the  largest  fleet  of  ships  of  any  company  in  the 
world,  furnishes  communication  with  Great  Brit- 
ain via  the  Suez  canal,  stopping  at  the  interme- 
diate ports  of  China,  India,  Turkey  and  Egypt, 
with  a  heavy  subsidy  from  the  British  govern- 
ment. 

The  French  government  subsidizes  the  steam- 
ers of  the  Compagnie  des  Messagaries  Maritimes, 
which  also  connects  with  Chinese  and  Indian 
ports,  and  the  German  government  the  Nord- 
deutscher  Lloyd,  which  follows  practically  the 
same  route  to  Hamburg,  although  the  French 
steamers  go  only  as  far  as  Marseilles. 

The  voyage  between  Japan  and  San  Fran- 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

cisco  is  from  fourteen  to  twenty  days ;  to  Tacoma 
and  Portland,  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  days ; 
to  Vancouver,  from  twelve  to  fourteen  days ;  to 
London,  from  forty  to  forty-five  days ;  to  Mar- 
seilles, from  thirty-five  to  forty  days,  and  to 
Hamburg,  from  forty-five  to  fifty  days.  The 
passenger  steamers  of  the  American  and  Cana- 
dian lines  sail  once  in  three  weeks,  the  English 
and  French  once  in  two  weeks  and  the  Germans 
once  in  four  weeks. 

There  are  also  a  number  of  British  steamers 
sailing  more  or  less  regularly  during  the  seasons 
when  there  is  the  greatest  demand  for  freights. 
They  carry  no  passengers,  but  keep  down  rates 
by  affording  competition  with  the  regularly  es- 
tablished companies.  They  have  no  regular 
routes,  but  go  wherever  it  pays  them,  and  often 
make  voyages  to  New  York.  It  is  not  difficult 
at  any  time  during  the  silk  and  the  tea  season 
to  find  a  through  steamer  to  New  York  by  the 
Suez  canal  with  rates  of  freight  very  much  lower 
than  those  charged  by  way  of  San  Francisco. 
The  Lambert  &  Holt  company  of  London  have 
steamers  all  the  while  loading  for  ports  in 
all  parts  of  the  world,  and  carrying  freights  at 
rates  that  are  amazingly  low.  Their  vessels  are 
especially  built  for  such  trade.  They  cost  little 
for  construction,  have  unusually  large  cargo 
space,  make  slow  time  with  little  fuel  and  are 
managed  with  great  skill  and  economy,  so  that, 
14 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

as  is  often  said,  it  costs  no  more  to  sustain  a 
Lambert  &  Holt  steamer  loaded  and  under 
steam  at  sea  than  when  lying  empty  in  port. 

Freights  to  Europe  are  comparatively  cheap- 
er than  to  the  United  States.  The  average  rate 
a  ton  on  merchandise  to  London  is  35  shillings, 
or  $8.75  a  ton,  while  the  lowest  rate  from  San 
Francisco  is  $6  a  ton.  Freight  is  calculated 
either  by  cubic  feet  or  weight,  according  to  the 
option  of  the  steamship  company.  If  the  goods 
are  heavy  they  charge  by  weight.  If  they  are 
light  they  charge  by  cubic  feet,  and  a  package 
about  as  large  as  an  upright  piano  will  be  reck- 
oned as  a  ton. 

The  freight  to  Marseilles  and  neighboring 
ports  by  the  French  line  of  steamers  is  about  30 
shillings  a  ton,  and  to  and  from  Hamburg  about 
40  shillings.  These  rates,  given  by  the  regular 
lines  of  steamers,  can  be  made  much  cheaper  by 
tramps  if  one  offers  a  sufficient  amount  of  cargo. 
The  rate  by  sail  to  and  from  New  York  and 
other  Atlantic  ports  via  Cape  Horn  or  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  will  average  about  $8  a  ton,  and 
all  heavy  goods  like  iron  and  machinery  from 
the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States  are  sent  in 
that  way  because  of  the  long  railway  haul  across 
the  continent.  The  British  exporter  can  usually 
get  his  goods  to  the  markets  of  Japan  30  or  40 
per  cent  cheaper  than  the  producer  in  Chicago, 
Pittsburg  and  other  points  in  the  interior  of  the 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

United  States,  although  the  establishment  of 
the  new  lines,  of  steamers  has  had  a  decided  ten- 
dency to  reduce  rates. 

Japan  has  an  area  of  nearly  150,000  square 
miles.  It  is  about  the  size  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  or  the  two  Dakotas,  and  has  a  popula- 
tion of  41,089,940,  including  20,752,336  males, 
20,337,574  females  and  perhaps  20,000  savages  in 
the  northern  islands  that  are  not  enumerated. 
Adding  Formosa,  that  rich  island  that  was  ac- 
quired by  the  recent  war,  there  are  no  less  than 
45,000,000  people  under  the  Mikado's  authority. 
The  island  is  about  the  dimensions  of  Spain, 
and  the  new  province  makes  Japan  the  eleventh 
country  in  Christendom  in  area,  and  the  fifth  in 
population.  The  density  of  population,  partic- 
ularly in  the  southern  portions  of  the  main  isl- 
and, is  very  great,  about  forty-nine  to  the  square 
mile. 

The  death  rate  in  1894  was  2.27  per  100  of 
population  and  the  birth  rate  2.85.  The  total 
number  of  deaths  was  937,644  and  the  total 
number  of  births  1,178,428,  which  indicates  that 
the  diet  of  the  people  and  their  constant  labor 
does  not  seriously  affect  their  health. 

Tokyo  is  the  largest  city  in  the  empire,  and 
there  the  traveler  can  see  modern  Japan  at  its 
best.  Yokohama  is  too  foreign.  Osaka  will 
give  the  most  correct  glimpse  of  the  Japan  of  the 
future,  for  it  has  made  more  rapid  progress  than 
16 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

any  other  place,  and  is  to  be  the  future  cen- 
ter of  the  manufacturing  industries.  At  Kyoto 
you  can  see  old  Japan  to  good  advantage,  and 
within  a  few  miles  of  that,  the  ancient  capital, 
are  some  most  interesting  excursions.  A  visit  to 
Lake  Biwa,  a  journey  on  a  canal  that  runs  un- 
der a  mountain  through  a  great  tunnel,  and  a 
rush  down  the  rapids  of  the  Katsuragawa  river, 
should  by  no  means  be  omitted.  They  furnish 
an  experience  that  will  never  be  forgotten.  Ky- 
oto is  the  best  place  to  do  shopping,  also.  Prices 
are  much  lower  there  than  in  Yokohama  or  even 
Tokyo,  and  if  you  search  the  second-hand  shops 
you  can  find  glorious  old  temple  hangings,  em- 
broidered brocades,  and  garments  of  rare  design 
and  great  beauty  that  were  worn  a  century  ago. 
Don't  buy  anything  in  Yokohama  until  you  re- 
turn there  after  visiting  other  cities,  or  you  will 
regret  it.  See  the  shops  in  Tokyo  and  Kyoto 
first.  And  you  can  get  almost  everything  in 
New  York  or  Chicago  that  the  Yokohama  mer- 
chants sell,  although  it  will  be  fifty  per  cent 
cheaper  in  Japan. 

When  you  visit  Nikko  take  a  journey  by  jin- 
rikisha,  or  on  horseback,  to  Lake  Chuzenji  and 
Yumoto,  and  see  the  most  picturesque  of  Japan- 
ese scenery.  And  while  at  Miyanoshita  do  not 
fail  to  follow  the  mountain  trails  on  foot  or  on 
ponyback  wherever  they  lead. 

At  all  these  cities,  and  at  the  places  I  have 
17 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

named,  there  are  excellent  hotels,  most  of  them 
kept  on  the  American  plan,  and  all  of  them  furn- 
ishing good  food  and  good  beds.  The  stran- 
ger is  always  struck  with  the  cleanliness  of  Japan. 
It  is  the  neatest,  cleanest  country  in  the  world. 
The  people  are  splashing  in  the  water  and  scrub- 
bing their  houses  half  the  time,  and  there  is 
scarcely  a  peasant  or  a  beggar  in  all  the  empire 
who  doesn't  take  a  bath  at  least  once  a  day. 

The  Japanese  hotels  are  not  comfortable  for 
those  who  are  accustomed  to  the  luxury  of  mod- 
ern travel  in  Europe  and  America,  but  there 
will  be  no  complaint  of  their  neatness  or  nov- 
elty. They  contain  no  furniture  whatever. 
Everybody  eats  and  sleeps  on  the  floor,  and 
leaves  his  shoes  in  the  vestibule.  During  the 
day  you  are  given  a  mat  or  a  cushion  to  sit 
upon  and  at  night  they  spread  a  futon,  which  is 
a  sort  of  comfortable,  thickly  padded  with  cot- 
ton, for  your  bed.  The  Japanese  pillow  is  a 
block  of  wood,  or  an  affair  of  woven  strips  of 
bamboo,  five  or  six  inches  long  and  shaped  like 
a  small  section  of  a  railroad  rail.  This  is  placed 
under  the  neck  as  a  man  lies  on  his  side  or  his 
back.  It  seems  to  have  been  originally  invented 
in  order  to  prevent  the  women  from  mussing  up 
their  hair — which  is  dressed  in  a  skillful  and 
wonderful  manner  by  an  artist  who  comes  to  the 
house  about  once  a  week — and  is  considered  very 
comfortable  by  those  who  are  accustomed  to  it; 
18 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

but  an  American  who  is  in  the  habit  of  having 
a  feather  pillow  under  his  head  will  dream  that 
he  is  undergoing  the  extreme  death  penalty  im- 
posed by  our  courts  of  justice,  and  awaken  in 
the  morning  with  all  the  muscles  in  his  neck 
protesting  against  a  repetition  of  the  experiment. 
It  is  well,  therefore,  for  the  traveler  who  goes 
into  the  interior,  off  the  beaten  line  of  travel,  to 
carry  in  his  rug  roll  a  rubber  pillow  or  a  cushion 
that  he  can  buy  for  seven  or  eight  cents  on  any 
business  street  in  any  city. 

The  Japanese  food  does  not  satisfy  the  North 
American  appetite,  and  an  hour  after  one  has 
finished  a  dinner  he  is  hungrier  than  he  was  be- 
fore. In  most  of  the  tea  houses,  which  supply 
the  place  of  hotels  in  the  interior,  you  can  have 
meat,  fish  and  vegetables  cooked  after  the  Amer- 
ican method,  and  your  guide  is  usually  capable 
of  overseeing  the  undertaking,  even  if  he  cannot 
do  it  himself.  It  is  always  well,  however,  when 
one  starts  upon  an  expedition  in  the  country,  to 
secure  a  supply  of  canned  soups  and  meats.  The 
corn  beef  that  is  put  up  in  Chicago  has  been  the 
consolation  of  many  hungry  souls. 

When  a  Japanese  travels  he  has  very  little  to 
consider,  but  if  he  is  a  pious  Buddhist  he  usually 
goes  to  a  temple  and  obtains  from  the  priest 
who  attends  Jizu,  the  patron  deity  of  travelers,  a 
sealed  packet,  drawn  by  lot,  which  contains  an 
omen  that  will  indicate  the  result  of  his  journey. 

19 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

Then  he  packs  his  cotton  trunk,  fastens  it  with 
a  pin  lock,  and  starts  for  the  train.  If  he  has 
any  more  baggage,  it  is  placed  in  a  curious  look- 
ing basket  and  tied  up  with  rope.  If  he  is  poor, 
he  makes  the  journey  on  foot.  Distances  do  not 
affect  him. 

Nature  has  given  him  perfect  feet,  that  can 
spring  him  over  fifty  miles  a  day  without  pain;  a 
stomach  whose  chemistry  can  extract  ample 
nourishment  from  food  on  which  no  European 
could  live;  and  a  constitution  that  scorns  heat, 
cold  and  damp  alike,  because  it  is  still  unimpaired 
by  unhealthy  clothing,  by  superfluous  comforts, 
by  the  habit  of  seeking  warmth  from  grates  and 
stoves,  and  by  wearing  heavy  leather  shoes. 
If  he  desires  to  travel  1,000  miles  he  can  get 
ready  for  his  journey  in  five  minutes.  His  whole 
outfit  need  not  cost  75  cents,  and  all  his  baggage 
can  be  put  into  a  handkerchief.  On  $10  he  can 
travel  for  a  year  without  work,  or  he  can  travel 
simply  on  his  ability  to  work,  or  he  can  travel 
as  a  pilgrim. 

The  cost  of  living  in  a  native  hotel  is  very 
small.  They  will  charge  a  foreigner  one  dollar 
a  day,  but  a  native  seldom  pays  more  than 
twenty-five  cents.  The  prices  at  modern  hotels 
are  about  what  they  are  in  the  United  States.  In 
fact,  the  same  degree  of  luxury  and  comfort 
costs  about  the  same  amount  of  money  the  world 
over,  and  a  stranger  is  always  expected  to  pay  a 
20 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

heavy  tax  upon  his  ignorance  and  inexperience. 

A  great  drawback  to  travel  in  the  interior  of 
Japan  is  the  vigor  and  activity  of  the  insect  life. 
The  natives,  who  are  toughened  by  constant  ex- 
posure, do  not  seem  to  notice  it — although 
thirty,  often  ninety  and  sometimes  ninety-nine 
per  cent,  of  their  skin  is  exposed  to  the  air;  so 
the  tender  flesh  of  foreigners  is  the  more  tempt- 
ing, and,  whenever  one  arrives  in  a  rural  town, 
the  creeping  and  jumping  things  have  a  mat- 
suri — that  is  the  name  of  the  Japanese  festival 
when  everybody  comes  out  for  a  good  time. 

One  hears  of  all  sorts  of  remedies,  as  when 
he  has  the  rheumatism  or  a  bad  cold.  Flea 
powder,  every  possible  variety  of  ointment,  even 
sleeping  bags  are  recommended,  but  none  of 
them  do  any  good.  I  have  an  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  beasts  and  birds  of  prey  in  other  coun- 
tries. They  have  a  galley-nipper  in  Brazil  and 
a  bug  in  Bolivia  which  are  said  to  carry  tools 
around  with  them.  They  suck  up  all  the  poison 
in  the  atmosphere  and  inject  it  into  your  body 
with  a  sort  of  hypodermic  pump.  The  Japan- 
ese insects  are  not  so  vicious,  but  are  more 
active.  They  are  always  on  the  lookout  for 
a  job,  and  when  night  comes  they  commence 
business  in  earnest. 

The  people  are  cordial  and  hospitable.  They 
overwhelm  the  traveler  with  attentions,  and 
wherever  you  go  make  yourself  known  as  an 

21 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

American.  That  is  open  sesame  to  every  home 
and  every  heart  in  Japan.  They  hate  the  Eng- 
lish, the  French  and  the  Russians,  but  treat  them 
politely.  That  is  due  to  their  own  self-respect 
and  the  laws  of  hospitality,  but  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  requires  no  further  introduction 
than  a  mention  of  his  nationality.  The  first 
question  asked  of  a  stranger  is, 

"O  kuni  wa?t" — What  is  your  honorable 
country? 

And  Englishmen  who  know  the  sentiments 
of  the  people  often  proclaim  themselves  Yankees 
in  order  to  get  the  best  rooms  in  the  house,  and 
the  largest  share  of  attention. 

Every  traveler  should  have  a  native  guide  or 
courier,  who  furnishes  information  on  all  sub- 
jects in  the  most  eager  manner.  But  that  is  his 
least  useful  attribute.  The  explanations  and 
descriptions  of  the  ordinary  guide  are  weariness 
to  the  soul.  But  he  is  useful  in  finding  places, 
in  arranging  routes  of  travel,  in  paying  bills, 
and  in  shopping.  In  the  latter  alone  he  will 
save  his  wages,  which  are  two  yen,  or  one  gold 
dollar,  per  day.  He  expects  also  to  act  as  your 
valet,  to  wait  upon  you  at  the  table,  to  brush 
your  clothes,  polish  your  boots,  pack  and  unpack 
your  trunk,  and,  when  you  get  away  from  the 
American  hotels,  he  buys  your  food  and  cooks 
your  meals.  He  is  altogether  indispensable  in 
these  respects,  but  as  interpreters  most  of  the 

22 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

guides  are  awful,  abominable  and  inexcusable 
humbugs.  Renzo  Sano  is  the  best  guide  I 
found.  He  is  a  gentleman,  a  most  agreeable 
companion  and  knows  the  country  thoroughly. 

The  only  trade  union  in  Japan  that  attempts 
to  regulate  wages  and  hours  of  labor  is  the  Kal- 
yusha,  or  Association  of  Guides,  who  have  their 
regular  fees,  charges  and  printed  rules,  and  are 
as  arbitrary  in  dealing  with  their  customers  as 
any  assembly  of  Knights  of  Labor  in  the  United 
States.  A  tourist  arriving  in  Japan  must  apply 
at  headquarters  if  he  wants  a  guide,  and  he  gets 
the  man  whose  name  is  first  upon  the  list,  re- 
gardless of  any  personal  preference.  This  is 
often  annoying,  because  some  of  the  guides  are 
competent  and  agreeable,  while  others  are  not. 
The  only  way  to  get  a  particular  guide  is  to 
write  several  weeks  in  advance  of  your  arrival 
and  apply  for  him.  Your  letter  is  placed  on  file, 
and  when  his  turn  comes  he  is  assigned  to  you, 
and  whether  you  reach  Japan  before  or  after, 
his  services  and  his  pay  commence  on  that  date. 

Murray  has  published  a  guide  to  Japan,  but 
it  is  incomplete  and  unsatisfactory.  The  most 
useful  books  for  the  ordinary  traveler  are  Cham- 
berlain's "  Things  Japanese,"  and  Miss  Scid- 
more's  "  Jinrikisha  Days."  Griffis'  "  The  Mika- 
do's Empire,"  is  the  most  satisfactory  of  all  his- 
torical works.  Dr.  J.  J.  Rein's  remarkable  but 
costly  volume  is  the  best  authority  on  the  arts 
23 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

and  industries  of  the  country,  and  one  can  get 
the  most  accurate  and  comprehensive  glimpse  of 
Japanese  home  life  by  reading  Miss  Alice  Ba- 
con's "  A  Japanese  Interior,"  and  her  "  Japanese 
Girls  and  Women." 

Sir  Edwin  Arnold's  roseate  views  of  Japan 
were  obtained  from  a  pretty  villa  at  the  top  of  a 
hill  in  the  residence  district  of  Tokyo,  known  as 
Azabu.  It  would  not  be  polite  or  proper  to 
repeat  the  gossip  that  is  freely  related  concern- 
ing the  behavior  of  this  eminent  gentleman  dur- 
ing his  stay  in  Japan,  but  it  may  be  said  that  the 
missionaries  do  not  refer  to  him  as  a  shining 
example  of  morality.  He  wrote  "  The  Light  of 
Asia,"  at  Omori,  a  popular  seashore  resort, 
where  he  was  surrounded  by  a  choice  selection 
of  geishi  girls,  and  the  guides  now  point  out  the 
scenes  of  his  adventures  as  they  do  other  places 
of  historical  interest. 

The  prose  poems  and  pictures  of  Japan- 
ese life  that  have  come  from  the  pen  of  Lafca- 
dio  Hearn  are  a  little  more  accurate  than  the 
writings  of  Sir  Edwin,  but  practical  people  have 
not  been  able  to  see  the  same  things  in  the  same 
light  as  they  appeared  to  his  eyes.  Mr.  Hearn 
is  a  Greek  by  birth,  and  lived  for  many  years  in 
the  United  States,  where  he  did  newspaper  work 
at  Cincinnati  and  New  Orleans.  For  a  time  he 
was  a  teacher  in  a  government  school  in  the  in- 
terior of  Japan,  but  later  has  been  living  in  Kobe. 
24 


A  Word  to  the  Wise 

He  is  a  dreamer  with  a  poetic  temperament  and  a 
wonderful  gift  of  words. 

The  usual  word  of  greeting  in  Japan  is 
"ohayo,"  which  is  pronounced  "  ohio,"  and  they 
say  that  when  John  A.  Bingham  went  over  to  be 
minister  of  the  United  States  and  everybody  gave 
him  this  cordial  welcome  he  expressed  a  great 
deal  of  gratification,  but  remarked  sotto  voce  to  a 
native  acquaintance: 

"  How  in  thunder  did  all  these  people  know 
I  came  from  Ohio?" 

Every  Japanese  is  compelled  to  report  at  police 
headquarters  whenever  he  changes  his  residence 
or  his  employer  or  his  occupation.  Whenever  a 
man  gets  any  kind  of  a  job  he  is  required  to 
make  it  known  to  the  officials,  so  that  a  perpetu- 
al census  is  being  taken,  and  the  police  are  sup- 
posed to  know  the  name,  residence,  occupation 
and  whereabouts  of  every  person  in  the  empire. 
All  arrivals  and  departures  at  hotels  and  tea 
houses  must  be  reported  to  the  police.  A  com- 
plete record  of  births,  deaths,  marriages  and  di- 
vorces is  kept  also,  and  no  native  or  stranger  is 
allowed  to  leave  the  country,  or  even  travel 
through  it,  without  a  passport. 

The  passports  given  to  strangers  and  tourists 
are  curious  documents,  being  written  in  Japan- 
ese, with  a  translation  in  English.  In  accepting 
them  tourists  agree  to  observe  certain  regula- 
tions and  are  prohibited  from  doing  some  very 
25 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

ridiculous  things.  For  example,  one  cannot 
travel  at  night  in  a  carriage  or  jinrikisha  without 
a  light;  he  must  not  attend  a  fire  on  horseback, 
nor  disregard  notices  of  "  No  thoroughfare !"  he 
must  not  drive  rapidly  upon  narrow  roadways, 
nor  refuse  to  pay  ferry  and  bridge  tolls.  He  is 
prohibited  from  removing  advertising  signs  from 
stores  or  houses  or  mileposts  from  the  public 
highways.  He  must  not  break  other  people's 
windows,  nor  scribble  on  the  walls  of  temples, 
shrines  and  public  buildings.  These  are  only  a 
few  samples  of  the  injunctions  that  are  imposed 
upon  him. 


26 


II 

The  Government  of  Japan 

In  theory  the  Emperor  of  Japan  is  the  source 
of  all  good  and  the  fountain  of  all  power.  He 
owns  every  acre  of  the  empire  and  occupies  the 
throne  by  divine  right.  His  authority  is  abso- 
lute, his  judgment  is  infallible,  and  the  people 
accept  his  edicts  as  the  mandate  of  a  god.  But 
in  practice,  and  by  the  voluntary  act  of  the  auto- 
crat, there  is  quite  as  much  liberality,  democracy 
and  self-government  in  Japan  as  there  is  in 
Germany. 

The  administration  is  divided  into  ten  depart- 
ments, each  presided  over  by  a  minister  of  state. 
This  cabinet  is  responsible  only  to  the  Emperor, 
by  whom  the  ministers  are  appointed  and  dis- 
missed at  will.  There  is  also  a  privy  council 
whose  function  is  to  furnish  advice  either  volun- 
tarily or  when  it  is  asked  for.  There  are  three 
capital  cities,  Tokyo,  Kyoto,  and  Osaka,  and 
each,  with  a  bit  of  adjacent  country,  is  a  federal 
district,  administered  by  a  governor  whom  the 
Emperor  appoints.  The  rest  of  the  empire  is 
divided  on  the  French  system  into  prefectures 
or  provinces,  whose  officers  are  elected  by  the 
27 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

people.  The  official  organization  is  very  much 
like  that  of  France. 

Judged  by  the  American  standard  the  Japan- 
ese are  a  much-governed  people,  the  officials 
being  numerous,  their  authority  great,  and  all 
sorts  of  things  which  with  us  are  left  to  private 
enterprise  are  there  cared  for  or  carried  on  by 
the  central  government. 

The  present  constitution  was  proclaimed  upon 
the  nth  of  February,  1889 — the  2,549^  anni- 
versary of  the  foundation  of  the  empire.  It  was 
an  event  worthy  the  commemoration  of  the  civ- 
ilized world,  as,  for  the  first  time  in  history,  an 
absolute  monarch,  who  had  inherited  despotic 
power  from  twenty-five  centuries  of  ancestors, 
voluntarily  presented  his  subjects  with  the  gift 
of  self-government,  a  blessing  for  which  billions 
of  people  in  other  parts  of  the  world  have  fought 
and  died.  This  act,  as  I  have  said,  was  without 
precedent.  There  was  no  compulsion,  no  fear; 
only  a  sublime  sense  of  justice  and  a  recog- 
nition of  the  rights  of  man.  An  autocrat, 
believed  by  his  people  to  be  of  divine 
origin,  stepped  from  his  throne,  and  in  the 
presence  of  his  relatives  of  the  Imperial  family, 
the  peers,  nobles,  the  high  functionaries  of 
the  empire,  the  chosen  representatives  of  the 
people,  and  the  members  of  the  diplomatic 
corps,  handed  the  Minister  President  of  State 
rolls  of  parchment  containing  "  The  Constitu- 
28 


The  Government  of  Japan 

tion  of  the  Empire  of  Japan,"  an  Imperial  de- 
cree creating  a  House  of  Peers  and  a  House  of 
Representatives,  and  a  code  of  laws  embracing 
332  articles. 

The  constitution  recognizes  the  sanctity  of 
the  Imperial  title,  and  His  Majesty  remains,  as 
before,  the  source  of  all  power  and  law,  but  his 
functions  are  exercised  only  with  the  sanction  of 
parliament.  Only  in  the  presence  of  an  emer- 
gency, to  protect  the  public  safety,  or  avert  a 
public  calamity,  can  he  suspend  law,  and  it  is 
expressly  provided  that  all  decrees  issued  in  a 
recess  of  parliament  must  be  approved  by  that 
body  immediately  after  it  next  assembles.  The 
Emperor  has  supreme  command  of  the  army  and 
navy,  determines  their  organization,  has  the 
power  to  make  war,  peace  and  treaties,  to  confer 
titles  of  nobility  and  other  marks  of  honor,  and 
to  extend  amnesties  or  pardons  to  persons  con- 
victed of  crime. 

On  the  other  hand,  political  and  civil  liberty 
and  a  measure  of  self-government  is  recognized 
as  the  rights  of  the  subject.  He  can  change  his 
abode  at  will.  He  cannot  be  arrested,  detained, 
tried  or  punished  except  according  to  the  meth- 
ods set  down  in  the  laws  of  the  empire.  His 
house  is  his  castle,  and  his  right  of  property  is 
sacred.  His  letters  and  papers  are  inviolable, 
and  cannot  be  searched  without  his  consent.  He 
is  entitled  to  the  freedom  of  religion,  speech  and 
29 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

association,  provided  he  does  not  exercise  that 
right  in  a  manner  prejudicial  to  the  public  peace 
and  welfare  or  interfere  with  the  rights  of  others. 
The  laws  of  the  empire  are  enacted  by  parlia- 
ment, subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Emperor, 
while  on  the  other  hand  he  can  exercise  no  power 
except  that  granted  him  in  the  constitution,  with- 
out the  approval  of  parliament. 

The  parliament  meets  annually  and  consists 
of  two  branches,  the  House  of  Peers  and  the 
House  of  Representatives.  The  House  of  Peers 
is  partly  elected,  partly  hereditary,  and  partly 
appointed  by  the  Emperor.  It  is  composed  of 
five  classes  of  members,  and  when  complete 
numbers  272,  exclusive  of  the  princes  of  the  Im- 
perial family,  who  are  entitled  to  seats  when 
they  reach  their  majority.  Princes  not  of  the 
blood,  and  marquises  who  have  reached  the  age 
of  twenty-five  are  members  by  inheritance.  The 
Counts,  Viscounts,  and  Barons  of  the  empire 
are  allowed  to  elect  one-fifth  of  their  number  to 
represent  them.  These  elections  recur  with 
every  parliament.  Each  city  of  certain  popula- 
tion and  each  province  is  entitled  to  one  mem- 
ber who  does  not  belong  to  the  nobility,  and 
may  be  elected  from  among  the  fifteen  male  in- 
habitants who  pay  the  highest  amount  of  taxes 
on  land,  industry  and  trade.  These  sit  for  seven 
years,  and  are  forty-three  in  number.  Thirteen 


The  Government  of  Japan 

are  merchants,  thirteen  are  large  land-owners, 
four  are  railroad  men,  two  are  bankers,  one  is  a 
miner,  one  a  steamboat  owner,  and  the  remain- 
der are  capitalists.  In  addition  to  these  the 
Emperor  has  the  right  to  appoint  ninety 
members  of  the  House  of  Peers  as  a  reward  for 
scholarship  or  meritorious  service  to  the  state. 
His  appointments  are  for  life  and  are  considered 
the  highest  honors  the  sovereign  can  bestow,  ex- 
cept patents  of  nobility. 

The  House  of  Representatives  consists  of 
three  hundred  members  elected  every  four  years 
by  ballot,  under  a  system  of  limited  suffrage. 
No  man  is  entitled  to  vote  unless  he  pays  a  min- 
imum of  fifteen  yen  ($7.50)  annually  as  taxes. 
Of  the  present  house  156  are  farmers,  forty-one 
merchants,  twenty-one  lawyers,  fourteen  journal- 
ists, nine  bankers  and  one  is  a  physician.  The 
remainder  have  no  business  and  are  chiefly  pro- 
fessional politicians. 

There  is  now  a  majority  in  the  parliament 
against  the  government,  but  the  opposition  is  so 
divided  into  factions  that  it  is  difficult  for  them 
to  unite  upon  any  distinct  line  of  policy.  The 
House  of  Peers  can  be  depended  upon  at  any 
time  and  on  any  measure  to  sustain  the  admin- 
istration, whatever  it  may  be,  but  the  adverse 
vote  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  or  the  passage 
of  a  resolution  of  lack  of  confidence  is  some- 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

times  although  not  necessarily  followed  by  a 
change  in  ,the  ministry,  as  in  England  and 
France. 

Political  parties  are  numerous  in  Japan. 
Twelve  are  recognized  by  the  editor  of  the  Blue 
Book  in  assigning  members  of  parliament  their 
political  status.  The  Radical  party  numbers 
105.  Then  come  in  order  the  Progressionists, 
the  Constitutional  Reform  party,  the  National 
Union  party,  the  Practical  Business  party,  the 
Finance  Reform  party,  the  Party  of  Great 
Questions,  the  Patriotic  party,  the  Party  of  Self- 
Government,  the  Society  of  Fellow  Thinkers, 
and  the  Middle  Province  party. 

The  revenue  of  the  government  is  derived 
from  five  sources :  customs  dues,  land  tax,  in- 
come and  license  tax,  tax  on  liquors,  and  receipts 
from  telegraph  and  post  offices,  railways  and 
other  public  works.  The  tax  on  land  furnishes 
at  least  two-thirds  of  the  entire  revenue,  and 
the  tax  on  spirits  about  one-fifth.  The  income 
tax  is  the  next  largest  source  of  revenue.  The 
land  tax  is  one-fifth  of  one  per  cent,  upon  the 
value  of  the  land,  which  is  generally  appraised 
at  its  market  value,  both  in  the  cities  and  the 
rural  districts.  The  income  tax  is  graduated. 
On  all  incomes  between  300  and  1,000  yen  the 
tax  is  y/jj-  of  one  per  cent.;  on  incomes  between 
1,000  and  10,000  yen  it  is  y1^  of  one  per  cent. ; 
between  10,000  and  20,000  yen  it  is  T2^  of  one 
32 


The  Government  of  Japan 

per  cent.,  and  above  30,000  a  year  it  is  T5-g^  of 
one  per  cent.  There  is  also  a  tax  of  seven-tenths 
of  one  per  cent,  upon  the  issue  of  national  and 
other  banks.  Stamps  are  required  on  all  deeds, 
bonds  and  checks,  receipts,  bills  and  other  legal 
and  commercial  papers.  Every  suit  that  is  filed 
in  court,  either  criminal  or  civil,  is  required  to 
pay  a  tax  in  the  form  of  adhesive  stamps  which 
are  placed  upon  the  papers.  In  criminal  cases 
it  is  assessed  with  other  costs  upon  the  de- 
fendant. 

There  is  a  tax  upon  all  forms  of  speculations, 
on  all  trades  on  the  stock  exchange,  the  rice 
exchange,  the  produce  exchange  and  other  open 
boards  of  trade.  The  tax  on  the  sale  and  pur- 
chase of  government  bonds  is  quite  high,  amount- 
ing to  six-tenths  of  one  per  cent.  There  is  a 
heavy  tax  on  sake,  beer  and  other  liquors, 
tobacco,  patent  medicines,  and  confectionery, 
and  a  less  one  on  soyu  (the  popular  national 
sauce)  and  yeast.  All  owners  of  vessels,  junks, 
steamers,  sailing  vessels,  row  boats,  sampans, 
and  every  other  thing  that  floats,  have  to  take 
out  a  license,  and  owners  of  land  vehicles  of 
every  kind  have  to  do  the  same.  A  tax  is  im- 
posed upon  all  animals,  horses,  dogs,  cows  and 
cats.  A  sportsman  has  to  pay  for  the  privilege 
of  owning  a  gun,  one  yen  or  fifty  cents  of  our 
money  each  year,  whether  he  uses  it  or  not.  The 
receipts  from  this  source  in  1894  were  nearly 
33 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

thirty  thousand  dollars.  There  is  a  tax  on 
watches  and, clocks,  but  it  is  merely  nominal, 
and  every  person  engaged  in  business,  whether 
he  sells  newspapers  on  the  street  or  owns  a  coal 
mine,  or  a  cotton  mill,  even  the  geisha  girls,  the 
porters  who  handle  your  baggage  at  the  railway 
station  and  the  old  women  who  sell  rice  cakes, 
chestnuts  and  confectionery  at  the  corners  of  the 
streets  have  to  pay  a  fee  and  secure  a  license. 
There  is  a  tax  of  one-tenth  of  one  per  cent  upon 
the  net  earnings  of  corporations,  which  in- 
creases gradually  as  the  amount  grows  larger 
until  it  reaches  a  maximum  of  one-half  of  one 
per  cent.  It  is  difficult  to  find  anybody  in  the 
empire  of  Japan,  except  the  favored  foreigners 
who  are  protected  by  treaties,  that  does  not  con- 
tribute something  to  the  public  treasury.  But 
the  taxation  is  so  evenly  distributed  that  no  one 
feels  the  burden,  or  complains.  There  is  no 
country  in  the  world  where  taxes  are  paid  so 
promptly  and  willingly.  There  is  some  grumb- 
ling because  foreigners  are  exempt  and  the  gov- 
ernment is  not  allowed  to  impose  more  than  five 
per  cent  duty  upon  imported  goods,  but  both 
the  government  and  the  people  are  waiting  pa- 
tiently for  the  new  treaties  which  recognize 
Japan  as  a  civilized  nation  and  allow  her  to  reg- 
ulate her  own  commerce. 

Political  campaigns  in  Japan  are  carried  on 
very  much  as  they  are  in  this  country.     A  prop- 
34 


The  Government  of  Japan 

erty  qualification  being  necessary  for  suffrage, 
the  volume  of  ballots  cast  is  comparatively  small; 
but  the  inability  to  exercise  the  right  of  suffrage 
does  not  interfere  with  the  excitement  of  the 
peasants  when  election  day  comes  round.  The 
rich  man  does  the  voting  ;  the  poor  man  does 
the  shouting.  In  order  to  vote  in  Japan  a  man 
must  pay  at  least  fifteen  yen  annually  as  taxes 
and  show  his  receipts  at  the  polling  places.  They 
have  no  ballots  like  ours,  but  a  register  which 
makes  the  elections  absolutely  accurate,  and  for- 
bids any  doubt  of  the  result.  When  a  voter 
comes  to  the  polls,  he  is  handed  a  long  sheet  of 
paper  upon  which  he  writes  his  own  name,  his 
residence,  his  occupation,  the  number  of  his  tax 
receipt,  and  other  statistical  information,  with 
the  names  of  the  candidates  he  prefers,  so  that 
his  vote  stands  in  his  own  handwriting  and  can- 
not be  questioned.  When  the  result  of  the  elec- 
tion is  declared  these  certificates  are  filed  away 
in  the  county  clerk's  office,  and  are  accessible  to 
anyone. 

On  the  English  principle,  a  man  can  run  for 
any  office  in  any  district.  A  citizen  of  Tokyo 
may  represent  in  parliament  the  people  who  live 
at  the  extreme  end  of  the  empire  if  they  elect 
him.  Nor  is  it  necessary  for  a  man  to  have  the 
property  qualification  required  for  suffrage  in 
order  to  be  a  candidate  for  office.  He  may  be 
as  poor  as  Job's  turkey,  and  may  never  have  had 
35 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

the  right  to  vote,  but  he  can  run  for  parliament 
just  the  same,  and  if  elected  is  allowed  to  take 
his  seat. 

There  is  a  strict  law  regulating  campaigns 
and  political  associations.  No  public  meeting 
can  be  held  without  a  license  from  the  police, 
and  no  club  or  association  of  more  than  six 
members  can  be  organized  for  any  purpose  with- 
out filing  at  police  headquarters  a  list  of  officers 
and  members,  with  their  residence,  a  copy  of  the 
constitution  and  by-laws,  or  some  memorandum 
setting  forth  the  object  of  the  organization.  No 
person  other  than  a  qualified  voter  can  apply  to 
the  police  for  a  license  to  hold  a  political  meet- 
ing. Soldiers,  sailors  of  the  navy,  members  of 
the  national  militia,  government  employe's,  in- 
structors and  students  in  public  schools,  minors 
and  women  are  absolutely  prohibited  from  par- 
ticipating in  public  meetings.  No  foreigner 
can  speak  at  a  political  meeting.  No  political 
meeting  can  be  held  in  the  open  air.  No  polit- 
ical speech  can  be  made,  nor  any  political  propo- 
sition offered  or  discussed  at  patriotic  festivals, 
religious  celebrations,  social  gatherings,  or  at 
any  other  assembly  without  formal  notice  to  and 
permission  from  the  police.  No  person  is  al- 
lowed to  carry  arms  at  a  political  meeting.  No 
political  association  can  carry  any  flag,  ensign, 
standard  or  banner  except  the  national  flag  of 
Japan.  Should  any  political  association  be 
36 


The  Government  of  Japan 

deemed  injurious  to  peace  and  order,  the  minis- 
ter of  home  affairs  may  suspend  or  suppress  it; 
and  any  political  meeting  may  be  prohibited  or 
dissolved  at  the  discretion  of  the  police  when  in 
their  judgment  it  is  injurious  to  peace  and  order. 

But  limited  suffrage  has  its  drawbacks.  In 
the  summer  of  1895,  while  I  was  in  Japan,  there 
was  an  election  for  members  of  the  Tokyo  city 
assembly.  In  the  Kongo  ward  there  were  but 
three  qualified  voters  besides  the  rival  candi- 
dates, Messrs.  Seki  and  Kazama.  Each  of  these 
gentlemen  were  confident  of  one  vote,  and  the 
result  depended  upon  the  ballot  of  the  Marquis 
Asono,  who  happened  to  be  absent  from  the 
city.  Both  candidates  made  every  possible  ef- 
fort to  induce  him  to  return  to  the  city  in  time 
to  cast  his  ballot,  but  he  was  detained  away,  and 
the  election,  being  a  tie,  was  declared  null  and 
void.  The  candidates  each  received  two  soli- 
tary votes,  one  of  which  they  cast  for  themselves. 
A  new  election  was  to  be  called  as  soon  as  the 
Marquis  Asono  returned  to  the  city  and  was 
willing  to  exercise  his  constitutional  privilege. 

It  is  very  rare  to  find  a  Japanese  woman  in 
politics.  The  only  notable  case  that  I  have 
heard  of  is  that  of  Madam  Hatoyama,  who  is 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  women  in  Japan. 
Her  husband,  Dr.  Hatoyama,  is  among  the  lead- 
ers of  the  progressionist  party,  and  the  principal 
of  an  academy  or  select  school  for  teaching  the 
37 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

high  branches,  patronized  by  Count  Okuma,  the 
progressionist  leader.  Madam  Hatoyama  was 
one  of  the  first  women  of  Japan  to  receive  a 
foreign  education,  and  upon  her  return  to  the 
country  she  took  an  ambitious,  independent 
position  which  attracted  a  great  deal  of  criti- 
cism and  unfavorable  comment.  Among  those 
who  defended  her  was  Dr.  Hatoyama,  a  young 
man  of  profound  learning  and  advanced  views. 
This  little  incident  soon  made  them  acquainted 
and  ended  in  their  marriage.  Some  years  after, 
when  Dr.  Hatoyama  entered  his  campaign  as  a 
candidate  of  the  progressionist  party  for  parlia- 
ment, his  wife  took  the  stump  in  his  interest  and 
made  speeches  everywhere  in  his  district.  She 
also  called  personally  upon  voters,  and  solicited 
their  support.  She  is  at  present  a  teacher  in  the 
academy  of  which  her  husband  is  principal,  and 
takes  an  active  part  in  all  progressionist  move- 
ments. 

Free  speech  is  permitted  under  police  regu- 
lation, if  that  is  not  a  contradiction  of  terms, 
and  seven  members  of  the  chamber  of  deputies 
were  fined  20  yen  ($10)  each  last  summer  for 
forming  a  political  club  and  holding  a  political 
meeting  without  giving  notice  to  the  authorities 
as  required  by  article  21  of  the  law  governing 
public  assemblies  and  political  associations. 
Curiously  enough,  Mr  Suyehiro,  one  of  the  de- 
fendants, introduced  in  parliament  the  very  law 
38 


The  Government  of  Japan 

under  which  he  was  punished.  It  requires  all 
organizations  or  associations  of  more  than  six 
members  to  file  with  the  registrar  at  the  city 
hall  their  names  and  objects  and  copies  of  their 
constitutions  and  by-laws,  if  they  have  any. 
This  law  was  intended  to  prohibit  secret  socie- 
ties. There  are  masonic  lodges  in  nearly  all  of 
the  principal  cities,  and  a  few  natives  belong  to 
them,  but  they  hold  their  meetings  in  the  for- 
eign concessions  which  are  under  consular  juris- 
diction exclusively  and  exempt  from  Japanese 
control. 

When  the  new  treaty  goes  into  effect  in  1899 
consular  jurisdiction  is  abolished  and  all  for- 
eigners will  be  subject  to  the  laws  of  the  empire 
just  the  same  as  the  natives.  While  the  treaty 
was  under  discussion  in  the  United  States  Sen- 
ate the  question  was  raised  as  to  whether  the 
law  of  Japan  which  prohibits  secret  societies 
would  apply  to  the  masonic  and  other  orders, 
and  an  assurance  was  given  by  the  Japanese  gov- 
ernment that  it  would  not.  This  point  was  dis- 
cussed at  length  between  Secretary  Gresham  and 
the  Japanese  minister  at  Washington  and  the 
former  was  assured  that  it  would  be  interpreted 
to  exempt  benevolent  and  charitable  associa- 
tions. Officials  of  the  Japanese  foreign  depart- 
ment inform  me  that  while  there  is  no  expressed 
exemption  an  assurance  has  been  given  in  the 
correspondence  with  the  powers  concerning  the 

39 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

new  treaties  that  will  be  recognized.  They  also 
say  that  there  are  many  societies  for  social  and 
benevolent  purposes  that  are  not  registered  at 
police  headquarters ;  that  the  law  is  strictly 
applied  to  political  organizations  only,  and 
although  it  can  be  construed  to  cover  every 
form  of  association  it  is  equally  easy  to  interpret 
it  so  as  to  exempt  those  that  are  intended  for 
innocent  purposes. 

The  case  referred  to  is  the  first  conspicuous 
violation  of  the  law  governing  public  meetings 
and  political  associations.  It  appears  that  the 
defendants,  who  are  active  members  of  political 
parties  opposed  to  the  government,  formed 
a  coalition  for  mutual  support  and  consultation, 
with  the  hope  of  being  able  to  consolidate  the 
opposition  to  the  ministry  before  the  next 
meeting  of  parliament.  They  held  several 
conferences  at  a  popular  restaurant,  which  they 
claim  were  merely  informal  gatherings  of  men 
of  the  same  views,  and  then  called  a  public 
meeting  in  one  of  the  largest  halls  in  the  city 
without  securing  the  permission  of  the  police 
authorities  as  required.  There  was  no  attempt 
at  secrecy  in  either  case.  The  meeting  was  an- 
nounced in  the  newspapers  several  days  in 
advance,  and  was  attended  by  both  the  police 
and  the  reporters.  The  hall  was  packed  with 
people  and  twenty  persons  were  invited  to  make 
addresses.  Fourteen  of  the  speakers  were  stopped 
40 


MARQUIS   ITO,    PRIME   MINISTER. 


The  Government  of  Japan 

in  the  midst  of  their  remarks  by  the  police  and 
politely  invited  "to  reserve  the  remainder  of 
their  discourses,"  as  the  newspapers  said.  The 
excuse  for  these  interruptions  was  the  use  of 
intemperate  language  concerning  the  policy  of 
the  government.  But  there  seems  to  have  been 
an  intentional  and  deliberate  defiance  of  the 
law  on  the  part  of  the  politicians,  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  government  took  that  occasion 
to  make  an  example  of  those  members  of  par- 
liament for  the  benefit  of  others  who  were  trying 
to  stir  up  an  insurrection  in  Japan. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  the  govern- 
ment is  very  liberal  toward  the  press  and  public 
gatherings,  but  occasionally  brings  down  an  iron 
hand  in  a  manner  that  would  do  credit  to  the 
czar,  and  its  policy  after  the  treaty  of  peace  with 
China  is  evidence  that  Marquis  Ito,  the  prime 
minister,  and  his  associates  realized  that  Japan 
was  then  passing  through  the  most  critical  period 
in  its  recent  history.  Not  only  have  the  oppo- 
sition newspapers  been  suppressed  to  an  extent 
that  was  never  known  before,  but  several  politi- 
cal associations  have  been  disbanded  by  orders 
of  the  police,  which  appear  in  the  following 
form  : 

"  It  is  hereby  announced  that  the  Minister  of  State 
for  Home  Affairs,  deeming  the  organization  called  the 
Seiyu  Yushi-kai  injurious  to  good  order  and  the  pub- 
lic peace,  forbids  the  further  meetings  and  continu- 

41 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

ance  of  said  association,  in  accordance  with  article  29 
of  the  law  of  public  meetings  and  political  associa- 
tions of  the  26tH  year  of  Meiji. 

SONODA  YASUKATA, 
"  Inspector-General  Metropolitan  Police." 

Copies  of  such  notices  are  served  upon  the 
president  and  other  officials  of  interdicted 
organizations  and  are  published  in  the  official 
gazette. 

But,  considering  the  rapid  and  radical  revo- 
lution that  has  taken  place  in  Japanese  affairs,  it 
is  very  remarkable  that  the  peace  of  the  empire 
has  been  preserved  as  it  has,  and  that  the  liber- 
ality of  the  government  has  endured  a  test  that 
would  not  have  been  successful  in  many  other 
countries.  The  reformation  of  1868  was  un- 
doubtedly the  most  remarkable  that  has  ever 
occurred  in  human  history.  Revolutions  are 
usually  the  result  of  circumstances  and  irritation 
within  the  nation  itself,  even  when  the  direct 
cause  may  have  been  found  elsewhere.  But  in 
Japan  the  destruction  of  the  old  despotism  and 
the  introduction  of  modern  standards  of  religious 
and  civil  liberty  was  directly  due  to  foreign  in- 
fluence, and  the  result  must  amaze  even  those 
who  were  instrumental  in  bringing  it  about. 
There  have  been  political  eruptions  and  upheavals 
in  Japan  because  of  a  lack  of  harmony  and  the 
existence  of  jealousy  among  leaders,  but  the 
ease  and  order  with  which  a  semi-civilized  peo- 
42 


The  Government  of  Japan 

pie  have  transformed  themselves  into  a  state  of 
civilization  that  will  compare  well  with  that  of 
the  nations  of  Europe  and  America,  and  sur- 
passes several  of  them,  has  no  parallel. 

The  great  difficulty  in  Japan  at  present,  as  in 
all  new  governments,  is  the  ambition  of  certain 
men,  who  consider  themselves  wiser  than  others, 
to  try  their  hand  in  the  administration  of  affairs ; 
but  the  criticism  of  those  who  are  in  by  those 
who  are  out  is  no  more  severe  than  in  the  United 
States,  Germany  or  Great  Britain,  and  party 
feeling  is  by  no  means  as  bitter  as  it  is  in 
France,  where  may  be  found  conditions  more 
nearly  similar  than  anywhere  else. 

The  peace  of  Japan  and  the  perpetuation  of 
the  government,  of  which  Marquis  Ito  is  the  fore- 
most spirit,  has  been  largely  due,  however,  to 
the  petty  divisions  into  which  the  opposition 
has  been  broken.  If  there  were  only  two  parties 
in  Japan,  as  in  England  and  the  United  States, 
there  would  have  been  frequent  changes  in  the 
administration ;  but,  as  in  France,  there  are  a 
dozen  political  organizations,  each  advocating  a 
different  policy  and  criticising  the  persons  in 
power  from  a  different  standpoint. 

There  are  also  men  of  genius  who  belong  to 
none  of  them,  but  have  their  own  ideas  of  good 
government,  and  ride  their  hobbies  with  a  zeal 
equal  to  that  displayed  by  Senator  Stewart  in 
support  of  free  coinage.  The  most  of  them  are 
43 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

sincere,  but  all  are  inexperienced  and  are  suffer- 
ing from  mental  and  political  indigestion. 
Each  has  his  followers  for  personal  or  political 
reasons  of  sufficient  number  to  keep  him  in  par- 
liament or  sustain  a  newspaper  in  which  he  is 
able  to  express  his  views.  There  is  no  thought 
of  treason  to  the  emperor,  nor  to  the  men  who 
are  executing  what  is  supposed  to  be  his  policy, 
but  everyone  is  zealous  and  patriotic,  and  con- 
fident that  his  particular  plan  is  necessary  to 
bring  this  Asiatic  state  up  to  the  same  standard 
of  civilization  that  is  found  in  Europe  and 
North  America.  They  have  read  of  foreign 
institutions  without  being  able  to  realize  clearly 
what  they  are,  and  thousands  of  theories  and 
innumerable  laws  are  the  results  of  hot-house 
education  and  inexperience. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  men  who  are 
at  present  in  office  swept  away  the  whole  ancient 
organization  of  an  empire,  which  had  existed 
for  more  than  2,500  years,  and  was  the  outgrowth 
of  the  life  and  labors,  the  thoughts  and  feelings, 
the  needs  and  the  aspirations  of  several  hundred 
generations  of  men.  This  was  replaced  by  an 
imported  civilization,  which  was  imported  from 
foreign  countries  like  any  other  commodity. 
Education,  military  and  naval  systems,  a  judi- 
cial organization,  financial  methods,  a  foreign 
policy  and  all  other  features  of  the  government 
were  brought  in  with  foreign  garments,  the  tele- 


The  Government  of  Japan 

graph,  the  telephone,  the  electric  light  and  the 
perfecting  printing  press,  and  introduced  among 
the  people  by  a  forced  process.  With  a  vast 
range  of  policies  and  practices  to  select  from, 
the  men  of  genius  who  directed  the  rapid  evo- 
lution of  Japan  naturally  found  perplexing 
problems,  and  it  is  a  wonder  that  the  thinkers 
and  statesmen  of  that  empire  did  not  find  greater 
difficulty  in  selecting  and  retaining  what  is  good 
and  suitable  and  rejecting  what  is  bad  and  un- 
suitable to  their  people. 

And  the  readiness  and  facility  with  which  the 
people  accepted  the  new  manner  of  things  is 
even  more  remarkable.  It  is  true  that  they  had 
been  trained  to  submission  for  centuries,  and 
that  the  highest  virtue  in  their  moral  calendar 
was  respect  for  the  imperial  power.  Otherwise 
it  might  not  have  been  so  easy  to  revolutionize 
the  social  system  of  40,000,000  people  in  a  few 
years.  This  respect  for  and  submission  to  the 
recognized  authority  is  the  safeguard  of  Japan 
to-day,  but  with  the  education  of  the  people  it 
may  sometime  appear  that  the  supposed  divinity 
of  the  Mikado  is  a  mistake,  and  the  toleration  of 
the  soshi  class,  consisting  of  patriotic  but  inex- 
perienced youths,  who  are  educated  in  a  way 
that  is  of  no  practical  good  to  themselves  and 
most  pernicious  to  the  peace  of  the  state, 
may  result  in  the  development  of  a  socialistic 
party  that  will  be  more  dangerous  than  any 

45 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

opposition  the  present  government  has  yet  en- 
countered. 

While  there  has  been  a  considerable  amount 
of  legislation  that  is  crude  and  contradictory, 
the  courts  of  Japan  are  as  pure  and  just  as  any 
in  the  world.  The  confusion  that  arises  from 
the  lack  of  a  proper  code,  and  an  attempt  to 
apply  laws  which  contradict  each  other,  makes  it 
necessary  for  the  judiciary  to  exercise  a  great 
deal  of  common  sense,  which,  after  all,  is  the 
best  rule  for  testing  the  rights  and  wrongs  of 
men.  There  are  no  long  delays  in  judicial  pro- 
ceedings; there  are  no  devious  and  concealed 
paths  by  which  a  criminal  may  escape  punish- 
ment through  the  aid  of  a  shrewd  and  skillful 
lawyer.  Justice  is  swift  and  sure.  A  man  who 
commits  a  murder  on  Monday  is  usually  sen- 
tenced to  the  gallows  or  to  life  imprisonment  on 
the  northern  island  before  the  end  of  the  week, 
and  he  is  either  buried  or  on  his  way  northward 
before  the  expiration  of  a  fortnight. 

The  object  of  the  courts  seems  to  be  to 
ascertain  the  facts,  and  not  the  law  in  the  case, 
and  when  an  offender  is  proved  guilty  no  tech- 
nicalities are  allowed  to  interfere. 

At  the  state  penitentiary,  on  the  island  of 
Ishikawa,  just  south  of  this  city,  we  saw  one  day 
in  a  workshop,  polishing  the  surface  of  a  beauti- 
ful cloisonne  vase,  a  man  who,  as  judge  of  the 
district  court  less  than  a  year  before,  sentenced  to 
46 


The  Government  of  Japan 

the  terms  they  are  now  serving  many  of  the  pris- 
oners who  work  beside  him.  He  accepted  a 
bribe  for  the  misapplication  of  his  judicial 
power,  and  went  to  the  island  with  a  speed  that 
offers  a  wholesome  example  for  the  purification 
of  the  bench  to  some  other  nations. 

The  peril,  not  only  to  foreigners  but  to  the 
principal  officials  of  the  Japanese  government, 
is  from  the  "soshi,"  a  class  of  agitators  similar 
to  the  socialists  of  the  United  States  and  Europe, 
who  are  found  in  every  large  city  and  constitute 
the  most  reckless  and  dangerous  portion  of  the 
community.  It  was  a  member  of  this  class  who 
attempted  to  assassinate  Li  Hung  Chang,  and 
they  make  it  necessary  for  Marquis  Ito,  the  prime 
minister,  Count  Mutsu,  the  minister  of  foreign 
affairs,  and  other  conspicuous  men  to  surround 
themselves  with  detectives  and  a  military  guard. 

The  soshi  are  mostly  young  men.  Many  of 
them  are  disappointed  office-seekers.  Others 
have  been  discharged  from  the  public  service  for 
incompetency  or  other  reasons,  and  prefer  to 
make  politics  a  profession  and  pick  up  a  living 
as  they  can,  instead  of  earning  honest  wages. 
After  the  restoration  of  the  Mikado  and  the  in- 
troduction of  modern  reforms  into  Japan,  thou- 
sands of  ambitious  young  men  flocked  to  the 
capital  and  to  other  large  cities  hoping  to  better 
their  condition.  They  got  a  smattering  of  edu- 
cation with  the  expectation  of  fitting  themselves 
47 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

to  hold  office  under  the  government  and  posi- 
tions in  commercial  houses.  Many  of  them  were 
successful,  but  thousands  failed,  and  being  unable 
to  obtain  employment,  and  unwilling  to  return 
to  their  former  homes  in  the  farming  villages  of 
the  interior,  they  consider  society  responsible  for 
their  misfortunes  and  live  to  revenge  themselves 
upon  society — prompted  by  desperation  and  de- 
spair. They  are  generally  possessed  of  more 
than  an  ordinary  degree  of  intelligence,  and  the 
free  schools  have  given  them  the  knowledge  that 
"is  a  dangerous  thing."  Many  of  them  have  a 
gift  of  oratory,  and  have  become  political  agita- 
tors, disagreeable,noisy  demagogues  who  are  con- 
stantly stirring  up  trouble  and  dissatisfaction 
among  the  coolie  class  by  false  information  and 
fallacious  arguments. 

A  common  interest  and  the  necessity  of  self- 
protection  against  the  police  has  caused  them  to 
form  themselves  into  secret  societies,  which  have 
more  or  less  rivalry  among  themselves,  and  have 
leaders  who  are  always  ready  to  throw  their  in- 
fluence and  the  support  of  their  followers  in  the 
interest  of  any  one  who  is  willing  to  pay  their 
price.  Therefore  at  election  times  these  soshi 
are  very  active  in  the  interest  of  the  politicians 
who  employ  them.  Just  now  they  are  exceed- 
ingly pestiferous. 

Like  all  men  of  their  kind,  the  average  soshi 
is  a  coward,  and  more  disagreeable  than  danger- 
48 


The  Government  of  Japan 

ous,  but  their  societies  attract  all  the  cranks  in 
the  country — the  Guiteaus  and  the  August 
Spieses  of  Japan — who  become  excited  under 
their  oratory  and  are  liable  to  do  anything  in 
the  way  of  crime. 

Since  the  restoration  there  have  been  six  at- 
tempts at  assassination  in  Japan,  but  fortunately 
four  of  them  were  unsuccessful,  although  in  the 
other  cases  two  of  the  most  valuable  lives  in  the 
empire  were  sacrificed  by  crazy  fanatics  in  the 
name  of  patriotism. 

In  1873  nine  men  attacked  the  carriage  of 
Iwakura  Tomomi,  the  Prime  Minister,  just  as  he 
was  leaving  the  palace  grounds  after  an  inter- 
view with  the  Emperor.  His  coachman  and 
footman  were  cut  down,  but  he  escaped  the 
clutches  of  his  assailants,  leaped  into  the  moat 
that  encloses  the  walls  of  the  castle,  and  escaped 
in  the  darkness  with  a  few  slight  wounds.  Those 
who  attacked  him  were  samurai,  the  class  of 
soldiers  in  old  Japan  who  corresponded  to  the 
knights  of  feudal  days  in  Europe.  When  the 
ancient  system  of  government  was  dissolved  they 
were  left  without  employment.  Many  went  into 
the  army,  and  it  was  proposed  to  pension  those 
who  were  past  the  military  age.  Mr.  Iwakura 
was  suspected  of  opposing  this  plan,  and  for  that 
reason  they  wanted  to  put  him  out  of  the  way. 

In  1878  Okubo  Toshimichi,  then  Prime  Min- 
ister, and  unquestionably  the  ablest  statesman  of 
49 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

modern  Japan,  was  assassinated  upon  the  public 
highway  by  a  half-insane  fellow  named  Shimada, 
who  was  opposed  to  the  introduction  of  modern 
ideas  and  believed  that  he  could  put  a  stop  to 
progress  by  removing  its  chief  apostle. 

On  the  nth  of  February,  1888,  the  very  day 
that  the  constitution  of  Japan  was  proclaimed, 
Viscount  Mori  Arinori,  Minister  of  Education, 
was  murdered  at  the  door  of  his  residence  by 
a  religious  fanatic  named  Nishino  Buntaro,  who 
sought  to  avenge  a  fancied  profanation  of  a 
Shinto  temple,  which  Viscount  Mori  was  ac- 
cused of  entering  without  removing  his  shoes. 

In  October,  1889,  when  Count  Okuma  Shi- 
genobu,  then  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  was 
returning  from  a  cabinet  meeting  at  the  Impe- 
rial palace,  a  soshi  named  Kurushima  Tsuneki 
threw  a  dynamite  bomb  into  his  carriage.  It 
exploded  and  shattered  his  right  leg,  which  had 
to  be  amputated,  but  he  recovered  and  is  still 
one  of  the  foremost  men  of  the  empire — the 
leader  of  the  progressionist  party.  The  motive 
in  this  case  was  a  belief  that  the  minister  had 
surrendered  too  many  of  the  rights  of  Japan  in 
making  commercial  treaties  with  foreign  powers. 

In  May,  1891,  the  Czarevitch  of  Russia — the 
present  emperor — who  was  making  a  tour  of  the 
country,  was  attacked  at  the  little  town  of  Otsu 
by  a  soshi  named  Tsuda  Sanzo  because  he  repre- 
sented a  government  that  was  supposed  to  be 


The  Government  of  Japan 

hostile  to  Japan.  The  assassin  was  stricken 
down  by  the  Duke  of  Athens,  who  was  accom- 
panying his  cousin. 

And  finally  in  March,  1895,  Li  Hung  Chang 
was  shot  by  a  soshi  when  he  was  on  his  way  to 
a  meeting  of  the  Peace  Envoys  at  Shimenoseki. 

In  each  of  these  cases  the  assassins  were 
prompted  by  mistaken  patriotism,  and  with  the 
exception  of  the  first  they  belonged  to  the 
wretched  and  mischievous  soshi  class,  who  pro- 
fess to  be  the  guardians  of  liberty,  but  are  really 
its  worst  enemies.  They  are  possessed  of  dis- 
torted ideas  and  unbridled  passions;  and,  as  no 
honorable  career  is  open  to  them,  often  seek  noto- 
riety by  striking  at  some  conspicuous  mark,  and 
creating  a  sensation. 

Appointments  in  the  civil  service  of  Japan, 
including  both  the  executive  departments  and 
the  judiciary,  are  almost  entirely  made  after 
examinations  and  are  for  life.  The  diplomatic 
and  consular  service  is  permanent,  and  those  who 
enter  it  are  required  to  submit  to  a  special  ex- 
amination; but  they  cannot  be  appointed  to  an 
office  in  any  other  branch  of  the  government 
without  passing  the  regular  examinations.  The 
cabinet  and  the  heads  of  bureaus  change  with  the 
politics  of  the  government,  just  as  they  do  in 
other  countries,  on  the  theory  that  the  higher 
grades  of  officials  should  be  in  sympathy  with 
the  policy  of  the  administration;  but  as  a  matter 
51 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

of  fact  very  few  changes  occur  among  the  bureau 
officers.  The  judiciary  is  not  changed  except 
by  impeachment. 

In  the  civil  service  there  are  four  classes:  (i) 
The  han-nin,  which  includes  all  of  the  clerks, 
stenographers  and  other  employe's  of  the  several 
executive  departments,  except  certain  specified 
officials  who  will  be  mentioned  hereafter;  (2) 
the  so-nin,  who  are  the  chiefs  of  divisions,  heads 
of  bureaus,  directors  of  various  institutions  under 
the  auspices  of  the  government,  and  members  of 
the  consulate  corps;  (3)  the  choku-nin,  who  are 
members  of  the  ministry  and  their  vice-minis- 
ters, members  of  the  diplomatic  corps  and  offi- 
cials about  the  imperial  palace;  (4)  the  yatoi, 
who  include  everything  else  not  specified  by  law 
or  engaged  in  the  regular  routine,  such  as  inter- 
preters, dispatch  agents,  translators  employed 
for  special  purposes,  confidential  and  secret- 
service  men.  Messengers,  janitors,  coolies  and 
other  menial  attendants  are  termed  yo-nin  and 
are  appointed  by  the  heads  of  departments  as 
needed.  Their  salaries  are  paid  out  of  miscel- 
laneous appropriations. 

The  han-nin  class  are  appointed  after  com- 
petitive examinations,  which  any  candidate  may 
enter,  whether  he  be  a  prince  or  a  peasant.  The 
examining  boards  are  permanent,  as  with  us,  and 
endeavor  to  make  the  test  as  practical  as  possible, 
and  to  determine  the  comparative  usefulness  of 
52 


The  Government  of  Japan 

the  candidates.  At  the  close  of  the  examination 
lists  are  certified  to  the  secretary  of  the  cabinet 
in  the  order  of  merit,  and  the  appointments  are 
made  from  these  lists  during  the  year  following 
as  vacancies  occur.  Exception  is  made  in  favor 
of  graduates  of  the  Imperial  university  upon 
whom  degrees  have  been  conferred,  and  no  can- 
didate is  eligible  for  examination  except  those 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  certain  private 
schools  recognized  by  the  government. 

A  preliminary  examination  for  the  so-nin 
class  is  held  at  Tokyo  each  year.  Applicants 
are  first  required  to  write  a  thesis,  and  are  then 
examined  upon  it.  If  they  pass  this  ordeal  they 
are  examined  upon:  i.  The  Constitution;  2. 
The  Criminal  Law;  3.  The  Civil  Law;  4. 
Administrative  Law;  5.  Political  Economy; 
6.  International  Law.  Then  there  are  four 
other  topics  upon  either  of  which  the  candidate 
may  elect  to  be  examined:  Finance;  Commer- 
cial Law;  Law  of  Criminal  Procedure,  and  Law 
of  Civil  Procedure. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  man  who  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  list  is  appointed  to  the  first  vacancy, 
and  that  is  the  general  practice,  although  excep- 
tions do  occur  occasionally  in  favor  of  some 
young  man  with  strong  personal  influence  or  a 
political  pull,  but  a  good  reason  is  invariably 
given  for  his  selection,  and  no  exception  is  made 
of  persons  who  have  not  passed  the  examination. 
53 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

The  consistency  of  the  government  in  this 
respect  has  a.conspicuous  illustration  in  the  per- 
son of  the  son  of  one  of  the  most  influential 
members  of  the  cabinet.  He  has  an  excellent 
English  education,  has  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  abroad  and  is  a  graduate  of  Cambridge 
university,  England;  but  he  is  deficient  in  his 
native  language,  and  has  twice  failed  to  pass  ex- 
aminations in  that  particular.  He  occupies  the 
position  of  interpreter  in  his  father's  department, 
which  comes  under  the  yatoi  class,  and  in  the 
meantime  is  studying  Japanese  for  the  purpose 
of  taking  another  examination. 

Appointments  are  always  made  to  the  lowest 
grade  of  the  han-nin  class,  where  the  salary  is 
only  12  yen,  or  $6.00,  a  month.  This  applies 
alike  to  doctors  of  law  and  doctors  of  philoso- 
phy who  may  have  taken  degrees  at  the  uni- 
versity and  to  the  boy  from  the  high  school 
who  passes  the  examination.  Promotions  are 
made  as  vacancies  occur,  by  examination  and 
record  for  efficiency.  The  highest  salary  paid 
in  the  han-nin  class  is  120  yen,  or  $60  a 
month. 

Examinations  for  the  han-nin  class  are  held 
in  the  several  departments  as  vacancies  occur. 
Each  department  has  its  own  board,  presided 
over  by  one  of  its  chief  officials.  The  examina- 
tions are  much  like  those  for  the  so-nin  class, 
but  especial  attention  is  given  to  the  qualifica- 
54 


The  Government  of  Japan 

tions  of  candidates  for  the  duties  they  are  ex- 
pected to  perform. 

The  so-nin  class  is  filled  by  competitive  ex- 
aminations. There  are  several  grades  of  officials 
under  this  classification,  receiving  salaries  from 
125  yen  to  200  yen  a  month.  The  consular 
corps  is  usually  filled  from  the  members  of  the 
so-nin  class,  and  promotions  are  made  on  the 
record  of  the  officials.  Their  commissions  are 
signed  by  the  prime  minister  and  bear  the 
cabinet  seal. 

The  choku-nin  are  supposed  to  be  appointed 
by  the  emperor,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  prime 
minister  acts  for  him  in  this,  as  he  does  in  nearly 
every  other  executive  capacity.  The  emperor 
selects  the  prime  minister  whenever  a  change  of 
administration  is  demanded  by  the  parliament 
or  he  may  himself  consider  it  expedient,  and  the 
prime  minister  selects  his  cabinet  just  as  is  done 
in  England  and  France,  or  by  the  president  of 
the  United  States,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
sovereign.  The  ministers  are  naturally  allowed 
to  choose  their  immediate  assistants,  as  with  us, 
but  nominally  the  latter  receive  their  authority 
from  the  emperor.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
members  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  who  are  se- 
lected by  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs  after 
consultation  with  the  prime  minister.  The 
choku-nin  are  not  required  to  pass  an  examina- 
tion. Their  commissions  bear  the  imperial  seal. 
55 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

The  minister  of  the  household,  who  has  charge 
of  the  person-  of  his  majesty  and  all  affairs  at  the 
palace,  is,  of  course,  selected  by  the  emperor 
himself,  and  is  not  often  changed.  His  position 
and  relations  are  not  affected  by  politics.  He  is 
like  the  grand  chamberlain  at  the  European 
courts  and  occupies  a  close  personal  relation 
with  the  Mikado.  The  emperor  is  supposed  also 
to  select  the  various  officials  that  are  employed 
in  the  household  department,  and  they  are  sel- 
dom changed,  for  obvious  reasons,  unless  he 
promotes  them  to  positions  of  greater  dignity 
and  emolument. 

The  prime  minister  receives  a  salary  of  9,600 
yen  per  year.  The  compensation  of  a  cabinet 
minister  is  6,000  yen,  $3,000,  a  year  in  gold,  but 
they  are  furnished  with  residences  and  servants, 
an  allowance  for  purposes  of  entertainment,  and, 
in  fact,  all  of  their  household  expenses  except 
clothing  and  food.  The  government  owns  a 
large  number  of  fine  mansions.  Some  ot  them 
were  confiscated  with  the  other  property  of  the 
daimyos  at  the  time  of  the  revolution,  but  more 
have  been  erected  on  modern  architectural  de- 
signs within  the  last  twenty-five  years.  They 
are  usually  filled  with  European  furniture,  al- 
though in  most  of  them  some  rooms  are  ar- 
ranged on  the  Japanese  plan,  especially  those 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  servants.  Each  of 


The  Government  of  Japan 

these  houses  has  a  major  domo,  or  steward,  and 
a  staff  of  servants  who  are  permanent,  like  the 
furniture,  bedding,  china  and  the  ornaments 
that  decorate  the  walls. 

These  residences  are  assigned  to  the  several 
members  of  the  cabinet,  the  presiding  officers  of 
the  two  houses  of  parliament  and  other  high 
officials,  and  when  changes  are  made  in  the  ad- 
ministration the  old  occupant  moves  out  and  his 
successor  moves  in.  There  is  no  disturbance  in 
the  kitchen  or  in  the  stable.  The  new  tenant 
can  make  changes  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
place  if  he  likes,  and  can  discharge  the  servants 
if  they  are  not  satisfactory.  He  is  master  of  the 
premises  as  long  as  he  lives  there,  just  as  the 
president  of  the  United  States  is  at  the  White 
house,  but  when  his  term  of  office  expires  he 
must  move. 

The  vice-ministers,  or  assistants  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  cabinet,  are  not  furnished  residences 
and  are  paid  only  4,000  yen,  or  $2,000,  a  year, 
but  that  is  considered  a  handsome  salary  in 
Japan,  such  as  the  presidents  of  banks  and  the 
managers  of  large  business  enterprises  receive. 
It  would  be  considered  fair  compensation  for 
the  general  manager  of  a  railroad,  or  the  presi- 
dent of  an  insurance  company,  although  in  pri- 
vate life  they  have  a  way  of  making  presents  to 
faithful  officials  at  the  end  of  each  year  in  ad- 


57 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

dition  to  their  salaries.  The  heads  of  bureaus 
receive  corresponding  amounts,  generally  $1,500 
and  $1,800  a  year. 

The  members  of  the  Japanese  ministry  do 
not  look  after  the  details  of  their  departments 
so  closely  as  heads  of  our  executive  departments 
at  Washington,  but  leave  that  for  the  vice-min- 
isters. They  attend  meetings  of  the  cabinet  two 
or  three  times  a  week,  consult  together  over 
matters  of  politics,  and  give  general  directions 
as  to  affairs.  The  vice-ministers  remain  in  the 
background  and  attend  to  business.  They  reach 
their  offices  at  an  early  hour  and  leave  them  at 
a  late  hour  every  day,  receiving  visitors,  con- 
ducting the  correspondence  and  attending  to 
the  routine,  which  they  are  allowed  to  do  as 
long  as  they  adhere  to  the  line  of  policy  that 
their  chief  marks  out  for  them.  Sometimes  they 
do  not  see  him  for  days,  but  they  usually  pre- 
pare a  budget  of  official  business,  which  they 
tuck  into  a  portfolio  and  send  to  him  at  his 
residence  on  cabinet  days  for  him  to  lay  before 
the  council  of  ministers.  The  vice-ministers  are 
bright,  progressive  young  men  of  executive  talent 
and  brilliant  attainment's.  Four  of  those  at 
present  in  office  were  educated  in  the  United 
States.  Two  are  graduates  of  Harvard  and  one 
of  Yale,  while  the  other  took  a  law  course  in 
New  York  city. 

When  you  call  upon  the  minister  or  vice- 
58 


The  Government  of  Japan 

minister  of  a  Japanese  department  you  are  shown 
into  a  reception-room  that  is  furnished  with  ugly 
Brussels  carpets  and  American  furniture.  There 
is  usually  a  table  in  the  center  surrounded  with 
uncomfortable  chairs  and  a  set  of  Japanese  smok- 
ing apparatus  placed  upon  it  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  visitors.  The  windows  are  decorated 
with  white  shades,  lace  curtains  and  heavy  bro- 
cade hangings,  the  latter  being  the  only  article 
of  Japanese  manufacture  visible.  The  walls  are 
covered  with  imported  paper-hangings,  maps  of 
Japan,  China,  Europe  and  America,  and  usually 
a  big  Connecticut  clock.  In  the  corners  are 
black  walnut  "what-nots,"  with  a  few  books — 
official  reports  and  that  sort  of  thing — and  one 
day  I  saw  a  janitor  dusting  them  with  a  pair  of 
bellows,  which  I  thought  was  a  pretty  good  idea. 
He  blew  the  dust  down  on  the  shelf  behind  the 
books,  where  it  can  accumulate  until  it  amounts 
to  enough  to  cart  away.  A  few  of  the  clerks  are 
barefooted  and  some  of  them  sit  on  the  floor  to 
do  their  work,  but  in  most  of  the  departments 
they  dress  in  foreign  garments,  and  use  desks 
and  tables  of  foreign  design  and  often  foreign 
manufacture. 

The  government  buildings  are  nearly  all  of 
French  and  German  architecture,  being  designed 
by  imported  architects  or  young  men  who  were 
sent  to  Paris,  Vienna  and  Berlin  to  study  archi- 
tecture years  ago.  Most  of  them  are  built  of 
59 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

brick,  which  isn't  suitable  for  an  earthquake 
country  like  Japan,  and  they  are  usually  out  of 
repair. 

In  addition  to  the  cabinet  of  ministers  the 
emperor  has  a  privy  council  whose  function  it  is 
to  tender  him  advice.  It  may  be  larger  or 
smaller,  according  to  his  wishes,  but  now  is  com- 
posed of  twelve  men — ex-members  of  the  minis- 
try, who  have  retired  from  active  life,  princes 
from  the  imperial  family,  uncles  of  his  majesty 
— members  of  the  nobility,  and  others  who  are 
distinguished  for  learning  and  wisdom.  They 
have  no  authority,  but  are  a  sort  of  honorary  fifth 
wheel  to  the  government,  receiving  salaries  of 
4,000  yen  per  year.  They  are  expected  to  do  a 
lot  of  heavy  thinking  and  act  as  a  safeguard  to 
protect  the  emperor  from  the  mistakes  of  his  min- 
isters. They  have  no  regular  dates  of  meeting, 
but  assemble  whenever  the  emperor  sends  for 
them,  and  he  sometimes  presides  over  their  de- 
liberations. During  the  recent  war  they  were 
called  together  quite  frequently,  and  the  emperor 
usually  submits  all  matters  of  national  policy  to 
them  before  giving  his  own  sanction.  While  he 
has  great  confidence  in  Marquis  Ito,  the  present 
prime  minister,  who  is  the  ablest  man  in  Japan, 
the  emperor  very  frequently  exercises  his  own 
discretion  in  matters  of  state,  and  has  repeatedly 
declined  to  approve  propositions  and  appoint- 
ments which  were  supported  by  the  entire  cabinet. 
60 


Ill 

The  Imperial  Family 

The  Emperor  of  Japan  is  supposed  to  be  de- 
scended from  the  gods.  I  believe  he  is  the  only 
man  on  earth  who  claims  divine  parentage.  In 
geology  Japan  is  the  youngest  of  lands,  and  of 
recent  volcanic  origin.  The  authentic  history 
of  the  country  begins  with  the  eighth  century. 
The  people  had  almanacs  and  means  of  measur- 
ing time  as  far  back  as  the  sixth  century.  The 
traditions  are  pretty  well  denned  from  about  the 
beginning  of  the  Christian  era.  The  oldest  doc- 
uments in  the  archives  of  the  government  were 
written  in  712,  and  the  antiquity  of  the  imperial 
family  is  unparalleled  among  nations.  The  line 
runs  back,  unbroken,  as  far  as  that  of  the  popes 
of  Rome  with  absolute  certainty,  and  Mutsu 
Hito  not  only  claims  to  be  the  12 ad  emperor  of 
the  same  family  but  to  have  received  his  crown 
by  unbroken  succession  from  Jimmu  Tenno,  who 
ascended  the  throne  in  the  year  660  B.  C. 

The  official  history  of  the  empire  of  Japan 

says  that  "from  the  time  that  Amaterasu-Omik- 

ami  made  Ninigi-no-Mikoto  descend  from  the 

heavens  and  subject  to  his  administrative  sway 

61 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

Okuninusi-no-Mikoto  and  other  offspring  of  the 
deities,  descetfdants  of  divine  beings  have  sat 
upon  the  throne  generation  after  generation. 
Each  sovereign,  faithful  to  the  spirit  of  his  divine 
ancestors  and  to  the  administrative  policy  be- 
queathed by  their  divine  descendants,  trans- 
mitted the  reins  of  power  to  his  successor,  thus 
preserving  the  continuity  of  the  imperial  dynas- 
ty and  achieving  the  aim  of  good  government. 
Descended  in  a  direct  line  from  the  heavenly 
deities,  the  emperor  has  stood  unshaken  in  his 
high  place  through  all  generations,  his  prestige 
and  dignity  immutable  from  time  immemorial, 
and  independent  of  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the 
world  about  him." 

The  period  before  the  reign  of  the  Emperor 
Jimmu,  seven  centuries  before  Christ,  when  the 
Japanese  assume  that  their  actual  history  begins 
is  called  Jindai — the  age  of  the  deities.  Two 
gods  of  minor  rank  were  commanded  by  the  su- 
preme sovereign  of  heaven  to  form  a  country 
out  of  certain  islands  that  were  floating  in  space, 
and  in  obedience  to  such  instructions  Japan  be- 
came a  nation.  The  divine  pair  then  were  made 
husband  and  wife  and  gave  birth  to  the  ances- 
tors of  Mutsu  Hito. 

In  the  Shiba  park,  near    Tokyo,  there  is  a 
shrine  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  these  divin- 
ities.    It  is  said  to  have  been  erected  in  the  year 
1005,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  exam- 
62 


The  Imperial  Family 

pies  of  ancient  Japanese  architecture.  Within 
the  shrine  is  kept  a  mirror,  a  crystal  and  a  sword 
— the  emblems  of  imperial  power — which  were 
handed  down  from  the  divine  authors  of  the  na- 
tion to  Jimmu,  and  by  him  transmitted  to  the 
present  occupant  of  the  throne.  The  emperor 
goes  to  this  shrine  to  worship  between  Septem- 
ber 1 6  and  21,  which  is  the  period  assigned  to 
the  creation  of  Japan. 

The  mirror  is  the  emblem  of  conscience. 
When  the  emperor  looks  into  it  he  sees  the  ruler 
of  forty-one  millions  of  people,  and  is  reminded 
of  his  responsibilities.  The  crystal  is  the  em- 
blem of  purity.  When  he  looks  upon  it  he  is 
reminded  of  what  his  life  and  his  government 
should  be.  The  sword  is  the  emblem  of  power. 
When  he  looks  upon  it  he  is  reminded  of  the 
authority  and  dignity  of  his  office,  which  should 
be  used  always  and  only  to  maintain  the  right, 
and  correct  the  wrong.  A  member  of  the  im- 
perial family  is  the  custodian  of  these  relics,  and 
arranges  the  programme  for  the  September  cere- 
monies. 

While  the  present  emperor  is  not  unmindful 
of  his  divine  origin,  he  has  shown  himself  to  be 
more  of  a  human  personality  than  any  of  his 
predecessors.  Until  the  reformation  in  1868  he 
and  those  who  had  previously  occupied  the 
throne  were  practically  the  prisoners  of  the  ty- 
coon, or  shogun,  as  he  was  more  often  called — the 
63 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

generalissimo  of  the  army — and  were  seldom  al- 
lowed to  leave  the  shelter  of  the  yellow  walls 
that  surround  the  grounds  of  the  imperial  palace 
at  Kyoto.  He  knew  nothing  of  his  subjects  and 
was  unknown  to  them.  He  was  too  sacred  for 
the  eyes  of  ordinary  mortals  to  look  upon,  and 
even  now  when  his  name  is  mentioned  all  of  the 
old-fashioned  Japanese  make  a  low  bow. 

The  respect  of  the  press  of  Japan  for  the  Mi- 
kado is  expressed  by  printing  his  name  in  capi- 
tals. For  example,  one  paper  says: 

"  The  nation  will  echo  the  words  of  its  EMPEROR, 
who  says:  'WE  were  constrained  to  take  up  arms 
against  China  for  no  other  reason  than  OUR  desire  to 
secure  for  the  Orient  an  enduring  peace." 

After  death  the  emperors  became  deities  and 
were  enshrined  with  the  other  gods. 

Since  1868,  however,  the  emperor  has  grad- 
ually taken  the  reins  of  power  more  and  more 
into  his  own  hands  until  he  is  now  quite  as  much 
the  ruler  of  his  country  as  King  Humbert  is  of 
Italy  or  Francis  Joseph  of  Austria.  He  does  not 
show  as  much  nervous  activity  as  Emperor  Will- 
iam, but  he  has  more  to  do  with  the  administra- 
tion of  affairs  than  Queen  Victoria  or  the  regent 
of  Spain.  He  presides  quite  often  at  the  meet- 
ings of  the  cabinet  and  usually  attends  the  ses- 
sions of  the  council.  While  he  is  sensible  enough 
to  keep  his  hands  off  the  executive  branches  of 
the  government,  and  permits  his  ministers  to 
64 


The  Imperial  Family 

look  after  details,  he  requires  them  to  consult 
him  concerning  all  matters  of  public  policy  and 
to  report  promptly  all  events  of  importance.  For 
example,  every  important  order  that  was  issued 
from  the  navy  or  war  departments  during  the 
late  war  was  submitted  to  him  before  it  was  pro- 
mulgated, and  a  copy  of  every  report  from  the 
army  in  China  and  Korea  was  furnished  him  as 
soon  as  received. 

He  takes  a  great  interest  in  industrial  and 
commercial  affairs,  and  has  often  added  from  his 
privy  purse  to  the  subsidies  voted  by  parliament 
for  the  encouragement  of  new  enterprises.  He 
examines  closely  into  the  revenues  and  expendi- 
tures of  the  government. 

The  emperor  was  only  16  years  of  age  when 
in  February,  1868,  he  received  the  envoys  of  for- 
eign nations  at  the  palace  of  Kyoto  with  uncov- 
ered face.  Before  that  time  no  foreigner  had 
ever  looked  upon  a  Mikado  and  the  eyes  of  his 
own  subjects  had  seldom  seen  his  divine  person. 
He  concealed  himself  even  from  the  nobles  of 
the  court  and  at  his  receptions  the  throne  was 
protected  by  curtains. 

The  ancient  throne  of  Japan  is  now  on  exhi- 
bition in  the  imperial  museum  in  Tokyo — the 
one  that  was  used  until  about  twenty  years  ago. 
It  consists  of  a  platform  eighteen  inches  high 
and  about  twelve  feet  square.  The  floor  is  cov- 
ered with  the  thick  matting  that  you  find  in  every 

65 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

house,  and  was  spread  with  rugs  of  exquisite 
embroidery,  while  in  the  center  was  a  silken 
cushion,  upon  which  his  imperial  majesty  squatted 
like  a  tailor  or  a  Turk.  Handsomely  carved 
and  lacquered  posts  supported  a  square  canopy 
made  of  white  silk,  delicately  embroidered  with 
the  Mikado's  crest.  This  canopy  concealed  him 
from  all  eyes  except  those  of  his  personal  attend- 
ants, through  whom  he  communicated  with  the 
public  and  who  draped  him  in  his  imperial 
robes.  Some  of  those  robes  are  now  exhibited 
in  the  same  room  with  the  throne,  along  with  a 
lot  of  swords  and  saddles  and  other  military 
equipments  that  were  worn  by  the  shoguns,  and 
cases  of  earthen  images  of  men  and  horses  that 
were  used  for  interment  in  the  graves  of  illustri- 
ous personages  after  the  custom  of  burying  the 
chief  retainers  alive  with  their  lords  was  aban- 
doned. 

There  also  can  be  seen  the  ancient  imperial 
carriage  which  was  drawn  by  a  bullock,  the 
palanquins  in  which  the  Mikado  and  the  shogun 
and  the  members  of  the  imperial  family  used  to 
ride  about,  and  a  model  of  the  state  barge, 
which  was  known  as  the  "  ship  of  heaven  and 
earth,"  and  was  propelled  by  sixty- four  oars, 
like  the  galleys  of  Antony  and  Cleopatra. 

In  an  adjoining  room  are  several  cases  con- 
taining relics  of  Christianity  that  were  left  in 
Japan  when  the  Franciscan  and  Jesuit  rnission- 
66 


The  Imperial  Family 

aries  were  driven  out  of  the  country  nearly  300 
years  ago.  St.  Francis  Xavier  spent  most  of  his 
life  in  Japan,  and  might  have  evangelized  the 
country,  for  noblemen,  Buddhist  priests,  men  of 
learning  and  military  commanders  embraced  the 
faith  with  the  same  alacrity  as  the  poor  and 
ignorant,  and  by  the  year  1582  the  number  of 
Japanese  professing  the  Christian  faith  was  esti- 
mated at  1,000,000  souls.  And  so  favorable 
were  both  the  princes  and  the  people  that  they 
sent  an  embassy  to  the  pope  to  beseech  his  favor 
and  acknowledge  his  supremacy.  But  in  1596 
an  edict  was  issued  by  a  jealous  shogun,  who 
thought  the  people  ought  to  obey  him  instead 
of  God,  expelling  every  missionary  and  com- 
manding every  convert  to  renounce  the  faith. 

Many  of  the  presents  that  were  brought  from 
the  Vatican  are  preserved  and  exhibited  in  the 
museum,  with  holy  pictures,  rosaries,  crucifixes 
and  other  emblems  of  religion  that  were  con- 
cealed by  the  faithful  during  the  persecution; 
and  there  are  several  curious  fumi-ita  or  "tramp- 
ling boards"  —  oblong  blocks  of  metal  with  fig- 
ures of  Christ  and  the  crucifixion,  the  descent 
from  the  cross,  the  Madonna  and  Child,  and 
other  representations  of  the  most  sacred  char- 
acter, upon  which  persons  suspected  of  the  crime 
of  Christianity  were  obliged  to  trample  in  order 
to  testify  to  their  abjuration  of  the  "depraved 
faith." 

67 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

But  the  emperor  wears  no  embroidered  robes 
to-day,  and  his  throne  is  simply  a  gilded  chair, 
from  which  he  can  see  the  members  of  his  court; 
and  no  screen  of  silk  conceals  him  from  them. 
While  he  is  not  as  accessible  as  some  of  the 
European  sovereigns,  and  never  appears  in 
public  except  upon  some  important  function 
of  state,  he  has  become  a  familiar  figure  to  the 
upper  classes  and  the  members  of  the  diplo- 
matic corps,  who  are  invited  to  the  palace  several 
times  a  year  and  are  asked  to  accompany  him 
at  military  reviews,  the  inauguration  of  public 
enterprises  and  on  other  occasions  when  his  maj- 
esty participates. 

The  palace  grounds  include  twenty-six  acres, 
to  which  strangers  are  never  admitted  except 
upon  the  invitation  of  the  sovereign  or  by  a 
permit  from  the  minister  of  the  household, 
which  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  obtain.  There 
are  riding  courts,  rifle  ranges,  gymnasiums, 
groves,  gardens,  fish-ponds  and  other  facilities 
for  exercise  and  amusement,  but  his  majesty 
seldom  utilizes  them,  for  he  is  not  fond  of  sport, 
and  is  afflicted  with  rheumatism  to  an  extent 
that  often  seriously  interferes  with  his  move- 
ments. He  has  several  palaces  in  different 
parts  of  the  country  which  he  never  visits,  and 
magnificent  game  preserves  where  he  never 
shoots.  There  is  an  imperial  yacht  in  the  navy, 
also,  but  he  never  goes  to  sea. 
68 


THE    PRINCE    IMPERIAL. 


The  Imperial  Family 

He  is  of  a  serious  temperament,  lacks  social 
qualities  and  is  so  occupied  with  ceremonies  and 
receptions  that  he  has  very  little  time  to  himself. 
From  all  I  can  hear  he  works  as  hard  as  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  and  has  an  equally  solemn  sense 
of  his  responsibilities.  Some  years  ago  he 
attempted  to  learn  English  and  German,  but 
gave  them  up  as  a  heavy  task.  On  public  occa- 
sions he  wears  a  heavily  frogged  and  gilded  uni- 
form as  generalissimo  of  the  army,  with  a  sword 
of  modern  pattern  in  a  golden  scabbard  and  a 
hilt  loaded  with  diamonds  and  other  jewels. 

The  prince  imperial  is  almost  continually 
ill,  and  is  the  object  of  great  anxiety.  He  is 
under  the  care  of  a  commission  of  three  or  four 
of  the  foremost  physicians  of  Japan,  but  they 
are  very  discreet  in  discussing  the  condition  of 
their  patient,  and  people  can  only  judge  when 
he  is  better  or  worse  by  their  looks  and  actions. 
His  trouble  is  water  on  the  brain.  His  head  is 
abnormally  large,  and  although  his  intellect  is 
bright  and  he  is  in  full  possession  of  his  mental 
powers  he  is  peculiarly  sensitive  to  diseases  of 
the  brain  and  nervous  system.  In  fact,  he  has 
not  only  been  under  treatment  ever  since  his 
birth,  but  the  first  prince  imperial  died  of  the 
same  disease,  which  seems  to  be  hereditary.  All 
of  the  imperial  children  are  troubled  in  the 
same  manner. 

The  emperor  has  had  twelve  children.  Two 
69 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

died  on  the  day  of  their  birth,  one  lived  nine 
months,  one  thirteen  months,  one  fourteen 
months,  two  eighteen  months  and  one  two  years. 
He  has  four  children  living,  three  girls,  born  in 
1888,  1890  and  1891,  and  one  boy.  The 
Countess  Sono  was  the  mother  of  four,  the 
Countess  Chigusa  and  the  Countess  Yanagawara 
of  three  each,  Mme.  Hashunato  and  Mme.  Ha- 
muro  of  one  each.  All  the  sons  but  one  in  the 
the  family  were  born  of  the  Countess  Yanagiwara, 
mother  of  the  prince  imperial.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Count  Yanagiwara,  who  lives  in  Tokyo 
and  is  very  highly  respected.  The  countess,  who 
became  a  concubine  in  1875,  is  said  to  be  a 
very  able  woman,  although  she  has  little  beauty. 
The  following  is  the  list  as  it  appears  in  the 
official  directory  of  the  empire: 

CHILDREN. 

A  prince  was  born  to  the  Emperor  the  i8th  day 
of  the  gth  month  of  the  6th  year  of  Meiji  (1873)  an^ 
died  on  the  same  day. 

A  princess  was  born  to  the  Emperor  by  Princess 
Hashimoto  Natsuko  the  i3th  day  of  the  irth  month  of 
the  6th  year  of  Meiji  (1873)  and  died  on  the  same  day. 

SHIGEKO,  Ume  no  Miya,  daughter  of  the  Emperor, 
born  the  25th  day  of  the  ist  month,  8th  year  of  Meiji 
(Jan.  25,  1875).  (Died  June  8,  1876.) 

YUKIHITO,  Take  no  Miya,  the  second  son  of  the 
Emperor  by  Princess  Yanagiwara,  born  the  23d  day 
of  September,  1877.  (Died  July  27,  1878.) 

YOSHIHITO,  Haru  no  Miya,  the  third  son  of  the 
Emperor,  born  the  3ist  day  of  August,  1879.  He  was 
7o 


The  Imperial  Family 

nominated  heir-apparent  on  August  31,  1887.  Pro- 
claimed the  Crown  Prince  (K5taishi)  the  3rd  of  No- 
vember, 1889,  and  decorated  with  the  Grand  Order  of 
Merit  and  Grand  Insignia  of  the  Imperial  Chrysan- 
themum, appointed  an  Ensign  in  the  Imperial  body- 
guard infantry  on  the  same  day. 

AKIKO,  Shige  no  Miya,  daughter  of  the  Emperor, 
born  the  3rd  day  of  August,  1881.  (Died  September 

7,  1883.) 

FUMIKO,  Masu  no  Miya,  daughter  of  the  Emperor, 
born  the  26th  day  of  January,  1883.  (Died  September 

8,  1883.) 

SHIGEKO,  Hisa  no  Miya,  daughter  of  the  Emperor, 
born  the  loth  day  of  February,  1886.  (Died  April  4, 
1887.) 

MICHIHITO,  Aki  no  Miya,  the  fourth  son  of  the  Em- 
peror, by  Princess  Sono,  born  the  22nd  day,  of  August, 
1887.  (Died  November  12,  1888.) 

MASAKO,  Tsune  no  Miya,  daaughter  of  the  Em- 
peror by  Princess  Sono,  born  the  3Oth  day  of  Septem- 
ber, 1888. 

FUSAKO,  Kane  no  Miya,  seventh  daughter  of  the 
Emperor,  born  the  2oth  of  January,  1890. 

NOBUKO,  Fumi  no  Miya,  eighth  daughter  of  the 
Emperor,  born  the  8th  of  August,  1891. 

Yuki  Hito,  the  first  heir-apparent,  was  born 
in  1877,  and  lived  less  than  a  year.  Yoshi  Hito, 
the  present  prince  imperial,  was  born  in  1879, 
and  was  proclaimed  heir  to  the  throne  in  1887. 
Under  the  constitution  of  Japan  the  emperor 
may  select  his  own  successor,  who  must  be  of 
royal  blood  in  order  to  continue  the  present  line 
of  succession,  which  is  traced  back  2,500  years, 
but  the  candidate  need  not  necessarily  be  the 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

emperor's  own  son,  nor  the  son  of  the  empress. 
In  1892,  when  the  prince  imperial  was  thirteen 
years  old  he  was  made  a  lieutenant  in  the 
imperial  bodyguard,  and  now  at  sixteen  is  colo- 
nel of  a  fancy  regiment. 

The  prince  imperial  has  been  brought  up  in 
a  very  democratic  manner.  For  several  years  he 
attended  the  school  that  is  kept  exclusively  for 
the  sons  of  princes  and  nobles,  and  his  treat- 
ment and  instruction  were  no  different  from 
those  of  any  other  boy  in  the  institution.  He 
had  to  be  as  punctual  in  the  morning  and  at- 
tend to  his  lessons  as  studiously  during  the 
school  hours,  and  no  exceptions  were  made  in 
his  favor;  but  a  year  or  so  ago  it  was  thought 
that  the  course  of  study  was  a  little  too  severe 
for  his  weak  brain,  and  he  has  since  been  under 
the  care  of  a  "grand  master,"  or  tutor,  Gen.  Oku, 
who  has  charge  of  his  education,  assisted  by  a 
Mr.  Adachi  and  several  other  teachers.  He  is 
being  taught  English,  French  and  German, 
arithmetic,  geography,  history,  the  natural 
sciences  and  military  tactics.  The  emperor  takes 
a  great  interest  in  his  education,  and  the  empress 
even  more,  although  he  is  not  her  son,  and  they 
are  both  exceedingly  anxious  that  he  shall  have 
what  they  call  a  modern  education.  Just  as  soon 
as  he  is  old  enough  and  well  enough  they  in- 
tend to  send  him  on  a  tour  around  the  world  in 
charge  of  his  tutor.  He  will  visit  the  United 
72 


The  Imperial  Family 

States,  and  then  the  several  countries  of  Europe, 
returning  by  way  of  India  and  China. 

The  young  prince  has  a  palace  and  full  estab- 
lishment of  his  own,  not  far  distant  from  that  of 
the  emperor  and  within  the  same  walls.  It  is 
in  charge  of  a  grand  chamberlain,  the  Marquis 
Nokayama,  and  three  assistants,  and  an  annual 
allowance  of  50,000  yen,  or  half  as  much  as  the 
president  of  the  United  States  receives,  is  appro- 
priated by  parliament  to  pay  the  young  chap's 
expenses  and  maintain  him  with  a  dignity 
becoming  the  future  Emperor  of  Japan.  His 
separation  from  his  father's  establishment  oc- 
curred when  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  and  the  or- 
ganization is  just  as  distinct  and  independent  as  if 
he  were  living  in  another  country.  He  has  a 
gymnasium,  a  bowling  alley,  tennis  and  archery 
courts,  a  riding  pavilion,  a  shooting  gallery  and 
everything  else  that  can  be  suggested  for  his  im- 
provement or  his  entertainment.  His  associates 
are  his  cousins  and  uncles  belonging  to  the  im- 
perial family,  who  come  and  go  at  pleasure,  and 
the  sons  of  other  princes  and  the  nobles  of  the 
court.  In  former  years  he  usually  accompanied 
his  father  on  all  occasions  of  ceremony,  espe- 
cially when  he  reviewed  the  troops,  and  the  neat 
little  figure  of  his  imperial  highness  became 
familiar  to  the  people  of  Tokyo.  He  had  ponies 
of  his  own,  which  he  always  rode  when  he  went 
out  formally,  but  was  frequently  carried  to  school 

73 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

in  a  jinrikisha.  Since  his  illness  very  little  is 
seen  of  him  by  the  public.  He  has  almost  en- 
tirely disappeared,  which  suggests  that  his  condi- 
tion may  be  more  serious  than  is  generally  sup- 
posed. If  he  were  a  well  boy  there  would  be  no 
occasion  for  so  much  mystery  or  seclusion. 

Few  people  believe  that  he  will  ever  occupy 
the  throne.  It  is  the  popular  opinion  that  the 
next  Mikado  will  be  Prince  Arisugawa,  a  second 
cousin  of  the  emperor  and  a  son  of  Prince  Ari- 
sugawa Takahito,  whose  father  was  a  younger 
brother  of  the  emperor's  father.  Arisugawa  is  a 
little  older  than  the  prince  imperial,  and  was 
adopted  by  the  emperor  as  his  own  son  in  1878 
by  the  advice  of  the  privy  council  after  the  death 
of  the  first  heir-apparent,  lest  the  government 
might  be  without  a  formally  selected  successor 
to  the  throne.  When  the  present  prince  imperial 
was  born,  Arisugawa  was  dispossessed  of  that 
rank,  although  he  remained  an  adopted  son  of 
the  emperor  and  will  undoubtedly  be  named  in 
case  the  present  prince  imperial  should  die. 

His  mother  is  Princess  Yasuko,  daughter  of 
an  ex-daimyo,  and  his  father  is  one  of  the  best 
known  and  most  progressive  of  the  Japanese 
princes.  He  was  educated  in  England  and  Ger- 
many, and  has  been  to  Europe  twice  for  several 
years  at  a  time.  In  1887  he  represented  the  Em- 
peror of  Japan  at  the  jubilee  of  Queen  Victoria. 
By  hereditary  rank  he  is  the  nominal  conductor 
74 


The  Imperial  Family 

of  divine  service  for  the  imperial  family  under 
the  Shinto  regulations  and  custodian  of  the 
precious  relics,  the  mirror,  the  crystal  and  the 
sword,  which  are  said  to  have  been  handed  down 
from  Jimmu  Tenno,  the  founder  of  the  present 
dynasty,  660  B.C.,  to  the  present  emperor,  who 
is  No.  122.  At  the  same  time  he  is  a  captain 
in  the  imperial  navy  and  also  saw  active  service 
in  command  of  a  cruiser  in  the  late  war  with 
China.  He  resides  in  a  palace  just  outside  the 
castle  grounds  in  Tokyo,  and  very  near  the 
United  States  legation.  His  house  is  of  modern 
construction  and  is  arranged  partly  upon  the 
European  and  partly  upon  the  Japanese  plan. 
He  is  exceedingly  democratic  in  his  ideas  and 
manners,  plays  poker,  drives  a  fast  horse,  takes 
New  York  and  London  illustrated  papers  and 
magazines,  is  president  of  a  club,  gives  dinner 
parties,  garden  parties  and  balls  upon  the  Amer- 
can  plan,  wears  a  suit  of  tweed  and  a  polo  cap 
when  he  rides  horseback,  and  comes  to  the  club 
after  dinner  in  a  Tuxedo  suit,  with  diamond 
shirt-studs  and  low-cut  patent  leather  shoes.  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  he  is  thoroughly  modern- 
ized, and  his  son,  who  may  be  the  next  emperor, 
is  being  brought  up  in  the  same  atmosphere. 
He  has  an  allowance  of  30,000  yen  a  year  from 
the  government  as  well  as  a  large  private  fortune. 
There  are  eight  other  branches  of  the  impe- 
rial family.  Prince  Komatsu,  an  uncle  of  the 
75 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

emperor,  who,  was  born  in  1846,  is  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  army.  He  also  was  educated  in 
England  and  Germany  and  went  to  the  jubilee 
of  Queen  Victoria  as  a  representative  of  his 
nephew,  the  Mikado.  His  manners  and  ideas 
are  quite  as  much  modernized  as  those  of  Ari- 
sugawa.  He  commanded  the  Japanese  army  in 
the  field  during  the  recent  war  and  is  president 
of  the  Red  Cross  society.  His  salary  is  22,500 
yen. 

Prince  Fushima,  another  cousin  of  the  em- 
peror, is  also  a  soldier,  a  major-general  of  the 
imperial  guard,  and  commanded  a  division  in 
the  late  war. 

Prince  Koto  Hito,  another  cousin,  who  was 
born  in  1865,  is  a  captain  of  cavalry  on  the  staff 
of  Prince  Komatsu. 

Prince  Akira,  an  adopted  brother  of  the 
emperor,  *was  educated  in  Germany.  Very  lit- 
tle is  known  of  him.  He  lives  a  quiet,  exclusive 
life. 

Prince  Yoshihisha,  an  uncle  of  the  emperor, 
is  a  very  different  sort  of  person  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  all  outside  affairs.  He  is  par- 
ticularly devoted  to  the  industrial  development 
of  the  country,  takes  shares  in  new  factories  and 
assists  in  the  organization  of  new  railroad  enter- 
prises. He  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  posted 
men  on  the  industrial  arts  of  Japan  and  has  been 
the  active  promoter  and  president  of  the  exposi- 
76 


The  Imperial  Family 

tions  that  were  held  in  1880,  1890  and  1895. 
He  went  down  to  Kyoto  to  present  diplomas  to 
successful  exhibitors  at  the  last  summer's  expo- 
sition. He  has  traveled  a  great  deal  in  Europe 
and  the  United  States  and  spent  from  1870  to 
1877  in  England  studying.  He  is  president  of 
the  Imperial  Geographical  society  and  the 
Asiatic  society  of  Japan  and  is  a  member  of 
many  of  the  learned  societies  of  Europe.  He 
has  a  degree  from  one  of  the  English  universi- 
ties of  which  he  is  very  proud.  The  faculty  of 
the  Imperial  university  at  Tokyo  usually  make 
him  the  president  of  their  examining  board  ev- 
ery year.  He  has  an  annual  allowance  of  20,000 
yen  from  the  government. 

Prince  Hiroyasu  and  Prince  Morimasa,  both 
cousins  of  the  emperor,  were  educated  in  Ger- 
many and  are  progressive  young  men. 

The  lady  members  of  the  imperial  circle  are 
equally  advanced  in  their  ideas,  and  the  whole 
court  is  pervaded  by  an  atmosphere  of  culture. 
The  grand  master  of  ceremonies  at  the  palace, 
who  is  the  actual  leader  of  society,  has  a  Ger- 
man woman  of  noble  birth  for  his  wife.  Many 
Japanese  ladies  have  spent  years  in  foreign  coun- 
tries and  have  acquired  a  modern  education 
either  in  the  schools  of  Europe  and  America  or 
while  residing  at  European  capitals  with  their 
husbands  in  a  diplomatic  capacity. 

Mme.  Mutsu,  wife  of  the  minister  of  foreign 
77 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

affairs,  lived  four  years  in  Washington,  and  was 
a  great  favorite  there,  and  nearly  every  man  and 
woman  in  the  imperial  circle  except  the  emperor 
and  empress  has  traveled  or  resided  abroad. 
They  all  wear  European  dress,  except  in  the 
privacy  of  their  own  apartments,  follow  Euro- 
pean customs  and  etiquette,  have  French  and 
Swiss  cooks,  butlers  and  other  servants  in  livery 
similar  to  those  of  the  English  nobility.  Their 
dinner  parties  and  balls  are  conducted  after  the 
European  fashion,  although  the  Japanese,  I  fear, 
will  never  be  able  to  dance  as  gracefully  as  their 
European  sisters.  They  go  through  the  figures 
with  exceeding  stiffness  and  serious  formality, 
and,  although  perhaps  it  ought  not  to  be  men- 
tioned, the  Japanese  woman  invariably  toes  in. 
They  look  much  better  in  their  native  costumes, 
too.  The  European  dressmakers  somehow  or 
another  do  not  fit  them. 

The  beauty  of  the  Japanese  court  is  the 
Princess  Kita-Shirakawa,  who  is  tall,  stately  and 
graceful,  and  would  rank  well  for  looks  among 
European  women.  Her  husband  is  a  cousin  of 
the  emperor,  and  a  major-general  in  the  impe- 
rial army.  He  is  now  in  Formosa,  where  he  has 
command  of  a  corps. 

The  Princess  Komatsu  is  also  famous  for  her 
beauty  although  she  is  not  considered  so  hand- 
some as  the  Princess  Kita.  Her  husband  is  also 
a  cousin  of  the  emperor,  and  is  commander  of 
78 


The  Imperial  Family 

the  imperial  bodyguard.  She  is,  perhaps,  the 
most  intimate  friend  the  empress  has  among  the 
ladies  of  the  court,  and  usually  accompanies  her 
on  occasions  of  ceremony.  She  also  assists  her 
majesty  in  looking  after  the  many  institutions 
which  it  is  her  pleasure  to  patronize.  The  Prin- 
cess Komatsu  is  president  of  the  Red  Cross 
society,  and  as  such  takes  an  active  interest  in 
the  medical  and  hospital  corps  of  the  army,  and 
the  hospitals  in  the  city  of  Tokyo,  where  she 
lives.  During  the  recent  war  she  developed 
great  executive  ability  in  directing  the  affairs  of 
the  Red  Cross  society,  and  devoted  her  entire 
time  to  its  organization  and  management.  She 
speaks  both  French  and  English  fluently. 

In  September,  1884,  when  the  Japanese  army 
embarked  for  China,  the  emperor  went  to  Hiro- 
shima, one  of  the  most  easterly  ports  of  the  in- 
land sea,  so  that  he  might  be  700  miles  nearer 
the  seat  of  war  and  communicate  more  conven- 
iently with  his  officers.  There  is  an  impression, 
among  the  natives,  which  is  not  shared,  however, 
by  the  foreigners,  that  his  majesty  took  personal 
direction  of  the  movements  of  the  army,  and  that 
he  at  one  time  had  an  intention  of  exposing  his 
sacred  person  to  the  hardships  and  dangers  of 
the  field.  But,  however  this  may  have  been,  he 
remained  at  Hiroshima  until  June,  1895,  when 
he  returned  to  Tokyo  attended  by  a  great  dem- 
onstration, in  which  all  parties  and  factions  and 

79 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

all  classes  ot  people  joined  with  equal  enthusiasm. 
He  came  first  to  Kyoto,  which  is  the  ancient  capi- 
tal, by  sea,  and  hence  by  rail,  stopping  off  for 
the  night,  starting  early  in  the  morning  and 
reaching  Tokyo  at  2  o'clock  sharp,  the  adver- 
tised time  to  the  exact  moment,  which  is  not 
usually  expected  of  royalty. 

In  1892  I  spent  several  days  in  the  train  of 
the  Queen  of  Spain  during  a  series  of  functions 
in  honor  of  Christopher  Columbus,  and  she  was 
always  three  or  four  hours  behindhand,  whether 
it  was  a  mass  at  the  cathedral,  a  dinner  at  the 
palace  or  a  ceremonial  reception.  Her  majesty's 
subjects  were  expected  always  to  be  on  time,  but 
she  came  when  she  got  ready,  and  several  times 
she  did  not  come  at  all.  But  in  his  movements 
on  such  occasions  the  Mikado  has  been  -.1  Meal 
of  punctuality,  and  I  am  told  that  he  usually 
sets  a  good  example  to  his  subjects  by  the  prac- 
tice of  that  virtue. 

The  Japanese  are  masters  of  the  decorative 
art,  and  their  taste  and  skill  were  most  lavishly 
displayed  in  adornment,  not  only  on  the  build- 
ings and  streets  of  the  cities  but  in  the  groves 
and  farms  and  paddy  fields  along  the  line  of  the 
railway.  The  distance  from  Yokohama,  -the 
principal  seaport,  to  Tokyo,  the  capital,  is  eigh- 
teen miles,  and  almost  the  entire  distance,  on 
both  sides  of  the  track,  was  a  continuous  display 
of  bunting  and  garlands  of  green.  The  railway 
80 


The  Imperial  Family 

stations,  the  switch  houses  and  the  telegraph 
poles  were  laden  with  color,  and  where  the  high- 
ways cross  the  track  arches  of  cryptomaria — a 
sort  of  soft-leaved  fir — were  erected  and  in- 
scribed with  white  designs  representing  the  em- 
peror's initials,  the  chrysanthemum,  which  is  his 
crest,  words  of  welcome  and  pledges  of  loyalty. 
In  the  bunting  only  the  national  colors  were 
used — red  and  white — but  there  were  a  great 
many  large  white  flags  bearing  inscriptions  in 
Japanese  characters,  which  are  very  decorative 
of  themselves. 

And  from  one  city  to  the  other  the  entire 
population  were  gathered  along  the  hedges  and 
fences  that  separate  the  railway  right-of-way 
from  the  little  toy  farms,  so  that  his  majesty  actu- 
ally passed  between  two  solid  walls  of  his  sub- 
jects for  at  least  eighteen  miles.  And  he  was 
received  with  absolute  silence,  which  seemed 
strange  to  us  westerners,  for  until  recently  the 
emperor  has  never  been  cheered.  The  Japanese, 
who  do  almost  everything  in  a  manner  the  oppo- 
site to  what  we  are  accustomed,  have  always  con- 
sidered silence  the  highest  form  of  respect  But 
after  his  train  had  passed  out  of  hearing  their 
pent-up  emotions  found  relief  in  shouts  and 
caperings,  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  the 
flaunting  of  flags. 

When  he  reached  Tokyo,  however,  where  the 
people  have  acquired  modern  ideas,  there  was  a 
81 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

shout  of  welcome  that  came  from  100,000 
throats.  It  was  the  single  word  "  Banzai  !"  which 
means  literally  "Ten  thousand  years  !"  and  is 
used  as  an  equivalent  for  the  old  salute  that  you 
read  of  in  the  scriptures,  when  subjects  shouted 
to  their  sovereign  :  "Oh,  king,  live  forever!" 

Nor  is  it  proper  to  look  down  upon  the  sacred 
person  of  the  Mikado.  You  must  always  look 
up  to  him.  Therefore  the  upper  windows  of 
the  houses  on  the  streets  through  which  he 
passed  were  closed  and  curtained.  There  might 
have  been  some  peeking  from  behind,  but  it  was 
the  height  of  disrespect. 

The  train  stopped  long  enough  at  Yokohama 
for  a  brief  and  rather  interesting  ceremony. 
The  city  was  decorated  from  one  end  to  the 
other.  Going  through  the  principal  streets  one 
had  to  pass  under  arches  of  flags  and  through 
almost  endless  lines  of  lanterns  of  red  and  white 
paper  and  of  grotesque  shapes,  which  were  all 
illuminated  in  the  evening.  The  railway  station 
was  handsomely  decorated,  and  just  outside  of 
it,  in  what  might  be  called  the  switching  yard, 
an  inclosure  had  been  arranged  in  which  the 
ceremonies  of  welcome  took  place.  The  expense 
of  the  decoration  was  met  by  popular  subscrip- 
tions. Each  person  who  paid  $i  was  given  a 
medal  of  brass  bearing  the  emperor's  name,  the 
date  and  an  inscription  denoting  the  occasion. 
Only  those  who  wore  such  medals  were  admitted 
82 


The  Imperial  Family 

to  the  inclosure  to  witness  the  ceremony,  and 
the  natives  could  procure  them  at  the  city  hall 
upon  the  payment  of  the  subscription.  Those 
who  wanted  to  pay  a  little  more  could  get  med- 
als of  silver,  and  those  who  were  very  liberal 
could  get  them  of  gold.  Foreigners  were  not 
invited  to  participate,  and  several  Europeans 
were  refused  medals.  But  any  American  citizen 
could  get  one  if  he  liked. 

The  antipathy  of  the  people  toward  Euro- 
peans is  illustrated  by  a  little  incident.  A  gen- 
tleman stopping  at  the  Grand  hotel  went  down 
to  the  headquarters  of  the  committee  at  the  city 
hall,  and  throwing  down  his  dollar  asked  for  a 
medal,  which  was  refused  him. 

"No  foreigner;  no  Englishman;  he  can't 
come,"  said  the  man  in  charge.  "  Only  Japan- 
ese." 

"I  am  not  an  Englishman,"  was  the  reply. 
"I  am  an  American." 

"Oh!  Melican,  he  all  right,"  and  he  handed 
out  one  of  the  souvenirs. 

The  emperor,  however,  did  not  leave  his  car 
at  Yokohama,  but  the  mayor  of  the  city  read  an 
address  to  the  members  of  his  escort,  eulogizing 
his  majesty  and  congratulating  him  upon  the 
triumphant  closing  of  the  war.  The  minister  of 
the  imperial  household  replied  in  appropriate 
terms  on  behalf  of  the  sovereign.  A  committee 
from  the  municipal  council  and  the  city  assem- 

83 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

bly  then  tendered  baskets  of  flowers,  and  finally 
the  chairman  of  the  reception  committee  pre- 
sented a  beautiful  tray  of  lacquer  work  filled 
with  cakes,  which  is  the  Japanese  expression  of 
hospitality.  Accompanying  the  tray  was  a  cas- 
ket containing  the  visiting  cards  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  committee  and  the  city  government. 

Drawn  up  around  this  inclosure  were  thou- 
sands of  children  from  the  public  schools,  each 
carrying  a  little  flag  and  wearing  a  badge  upon 
which  was  printed  a  greeting  to  the  emperor. 
As  the  train  entered  and  left  the  station  they 
sang  patriotic  songs.  There  were  also  present 
various  commercial  and  other  civic  organiza- 
tions, each  under  its  own  banner. 

The  decorations  at  Tokyo  were  more  elab- 
orate, and  there  were  three  arches  of  evergreen 
which  surpassed  in  magnificence  anything  I  have 
ever  seen.  The  railway  station  was  effectively 
decorated  with  garlands,  wreaths  and  bunting, 
while  in  front  of  it  was  an  arch  200  feet  wide  at 
the  base  and  80  feet  high.  It  was  made  of  cryp- 
tomaria  branches,  covering  a  framework  of  tim- 
ber, while  on  both  sides  were  worked,  in  red  and 
white,  the  imperial  chrysanthemum  and  inscrip- 
tions of  welcome.  Another  arch  of  similar  de- 
sign was  erected  in  front  of  the  entrance  to  the 
palace  grounds,  but  the  third,  that  stood  oppo- 
site the  houses  of  parliament,  surpassed  them 
all. 

84 


The  Imperial  Family 

It  consisted  of  a  colonnade  of  arches  each 
seventy  feet  span  and  seventy  feet  in  height,  the 
entire  structure  being  300  yards  from  end  to  end. 
At  each  end  was  a  castellated  tower,  and  in  the 
center  a  dome  of  green  100  feet  in  height  sur- 
mounted by  the  national  colors.  While  the 
effect  in  the  daylight  was  very  impressive,  at  night 
it  was  much  heightened  by  the  glow  of  1,500 
colored  electric  lights  arranged  along  the  edges 
in  the  form  of  a  border,  and  on  the  sides  in  the 
emperor's  crest  and  the  initials  of  his  name. 

The  public  buildings  were  handsomely  dec- 
orated, as  were  the  private  dwellings,  while  the 
business  streets  were  most  liberally  adorned  with 
flags,  banners  and  lanterns  of  every  possible  de- 
sign and  bearing  innumerable  inscriptions.  The 
shipping  in  the  bay  was  alive  with  banners,  and 
just  before  reaching  the  city,  where  the  railway 
skirts  the  shore,  1,000  or  more  sam-pans  were 
drawn  up  in  line  and  lashed  together.  They  were 
covered  with  most  ingenious  designs  and  crowded 
with  people.  In  a  little  plaza  near  the  railway 
station  was  a  large  miniature  ship  of  war,  and  in 
every  direction  through  miles  and  miles  of 
streets  were  designs  of  great  originality  and  art- 
istic skill. 

And  the  masses  of  people  that  thronged  the 
streets  and  the  parks  and  parade  grounds ! 
Tokyo  has  1,300,000  people  and  there  are  prob- 
ably 10,000,000  within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles. 

85 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

Shimosa  and  -  Musachi,  the  two  southeastern 
provinces  of  Japan,  are  among  the  most  densely 
peopled  parts  of  the  earth,  and  it  seemed  as  if 
the  whole  population  was  there.  The  wide 
streets  were  filled  from  wall  to  wall  with  a  dense 
stream  of  humanity  slowly  moving  along,  with 
here  and  there  one  of  those  exaggerated  baby 
carriages  they  call  jinrikishas,  of  which  thfcre 
are  30,000  in  Tokyo.  And  there  was  never  a 
more  good-natured  or  a  happier  throng.  Every- 
body was  laughing  and  shouting,  and  some  wit- 
ticism or  accident  would  occasionally  cause  a 
shout  in  which  everybody 'participated.  There 
was  no  drunkenness,  no  quarreling,  no  rude- 
ness. This  is  the  invariable  characteristic  of  a 
Japanese  crowd.  They  are  altogether  the  hap- 
piest people  in  the  world.  Amusement  is  uni- 
versal. Everybody  laughs.  Japan  has  been 
called  the  kingdom  of  merry  dreams.  It  is 
equally  the  kingdom  of  merry  wakefulness. 

The  nobles  and  other  social  and  political 
swells  all  wore  stovepipe  hats  and  dress  suits, 
and  some  of  them  were  most  comical  carica- 
tures. The  silk  hat  is  worn  in  Japan  only  on 
the  most  solemn  occasions — weddings,  funerals 
and  royal  ceremonies — and  every  man  who  pre- 
tends to  be  anybody  keeps  one  in  stock.  As  he 
never  wears  it  out  the  same  hat  not  only  lasts  a 
lifetime  but  is  handed  down  from  generation  to 
generation,  like  the  Mikado's  crown.  Many  of 
86 


The  Imperial  Family 

those  on  the  street  that  merry  day  were  evidently 
brought  over  soon  after  Commodore  Perry  came, 
and  the  rest  must  have  come  in  installments 
since  1853,  for  they  represented  every  fashion 
of  headgear  since  that  date. 

As  I  have  said,  the  emperor  arrived  promptly 
on  time.  His  train  was  due  at  the  Tokyo  sta- 
tion at  2  o'clock.  Five  minutes  later  he  was 
seated  in  the  imperial  carriage  listening  to  the 
songs  of  thousands  of  school  children,  who  had 
been  gathered  in  front  of  the  railway  station  to 
greet  him.  Then  he  was  driven  rapidly  through 
the  principal  streets  and  parks  of  the  city  to  the 
palace,  preceded  and  followed  by  an  escort  of 
lancers,  who  rode  stumpy  little  horses  in  a  most 
awkward  manner. 

The  line  of  march  was  roped  off  on  either 
side  of  the  roadway  and  patrolled  by  thousands 
of  policemen.  Behind  the  rope  was  a  solid  mass 
of  people  the  entire  distance,  and  scarcely  a 
house  or  a  shop  was  without  some  handsome 
decoration  of  foliage  or  bunting.  At  various 
points  along  the  road  were  groups  of  priests  in 
gorgeous  robes,  as  well  as  organized  societies  of 
merchants  and  professional  men. 

His  majesty's  carriage  was  an  open  brougham 
with  a  gilt  cloth  over  the  coachman's  box  and 
the  coat-of-arms  of  Japan  upon  the  panels.  It 
was  drawn  by  two  large  black  horses,  whose  har- 
ness was  ornamented  in  simple  designs  of  gold. 
87 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

The  coachman  and  footman  wore  European  liv- 
ies,  with  silk  stockings  and  breeches,  tall  hats 
with  deep  bands  of  gold  and  cockades  of  red  and 
white,  the  national  colors.  Their  coats  were  of 
blue  broadcloth,  with  wide  cuffs  and  collars  of 
gold  braid.  In  the  carriage  with  his  majesty 
was  Count  Tokudaiji,  grand  chamber-1  ain  of  the 
palace.  The  emperor  wore  the  uniform  of  a 
field  marshal,  and  kept  his  eyes  upon  the  but- 
tons of  his  coachman's  coat,  looking  neither  to 
the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left. 

Immediately  following  him,  and  alone  in  his 
carriage,  was  Count  Ito,  the  prime  minister,  a 
solemn-faced  man  with  long  whiskers.  Then 
came  Prince  Komatsu,  an  uncle  of  the  emperor, 
who  is  commander-in-chief  of  the  army,  and  was 
generalissimo  of  the  forces  in  China,  and  several 
other  high  officials  of  the  government  and  mili- 
tary men,  including  Count  Mutsu,  who  used  to 
be  minister  to  Washington  and  left  a  sick-bed  to 
meet  his  imperial  master.  Several  members  of 
the  diplomatic  corps  were  also  at  the  railway 
station,  and  followed  the  procession  to  the  pal- 
ace, among  them  the  Russian  minister,  whose 
carriage  was  surrounded  by  detectives,  and  for 
that  reason  attracted  more  than  ordinary  atten- 
tion. He  seemed  to  have  made  himself  as  con- 
spicuous as  possible,  owing  to  the  strained  rela- 
tions between  his  country  and  the  Japanese,  and 


88 


The  Imperial  Family 

was  greeted  with  groans  and  hoots  of  derision  as 
he  passed  through  the  streets. 

During  the  evening  the  city  was  illuminated 
in  a  most  gorgeous  manner.  Millions  of  lanterns 
were  tossed  in  the  breeze  and  thousands  of 
houses  and  buildings  were  blazing  with  electric 
lights.  In  all  the  parks  and  public  squares  and 
at  many  private  entertainments  were  elaborate 
displays  of  fireworks  until  the  air  of  the  whole 
city  was  laden  with  the  odor  of  powder. 

What  was  most  interesting  of  all  was  that 
these  demonstrations  are  genuine  and  sincere. 
No  matter  how  bitterly  the  politicians  may  abuse 
each  other,  nor  how  stubborn  the  opposition 
may  be  to  the  policy  of  the  government,  the  loy- 
alty of  all  classes  to  their  emperor  is  unquestion- 
able, and  the  common  people  still  consider 
Mutsu  Hito  as  a  sacred  personage  who  will  be- 
come a  divinity  when  he  dies. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  concerning  the  day  of 
the  emperor's  reception  at  Tokyo,  when  all  the 
population  of  a  city  of  1,300,000  people  were 
out  to  greet  him  and  500,000  strangers  were 
brought  in  by  the  railroads  from  the  surrounding 
country,  that,  according  to  the  Yomiuri  Shim- 
bun  (News),  no  person  was  arrested,  or  robbed, 
or  injured;  no  child  was  lost;  there  were  no 
quarrels  of  sufficient  seriousness  to  require  the 
intervention  of  the  police,  and  the  only  accident 
reported  for  the  entire  day  was  the  collision  of 
89 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

three  jinrikishas,  which  were  racing  to  the  rail- 
way station  and  were  all  trying  to  cross  a  nar- 
row bridge  at  the  same  time.  It  has  often  been 
said  that  the  Japanese  are  the  best-natured  and 
the  most  orderly  people  in  the  world,  and  the 
demonstration  in  honor  of  their  emperor  was  a 
good  test  of  these  qualities. 

The  empress  went  from  Kyoto  to  Tokyo  one 
day  behind  the  emperor.  The  same  decorations 
and  committees,  like  the  same  itinerary,  fitted 
both.  It  was  only  necessary  for  the  government 
to  furnish  another  train  and  for  the  populace  at 
the  points  she  visited  to  provide  a  new  set  of 
souvenirs. 

The  imperial  couple  never  travel  together. 
I  asked  an  explanation  from  several  people 
who  have  lived  there  a  long  time,  and  from  cer- 
tain Japanese  gentlemen  who  are  well  up  in 
etiquette,  but  none  of  them  was  very  positive  in 
his  opinion.  Most  of  them  said  that  there  was 

no  particular  reason  ;  that  it  was  merely  one  of 
the  customs  of  the  country  inherited  from 
ancient  times.  Others  explained  that  the  em- 
press was  an  inferior  being,  and  that  it  would 
not  be  according  to  the  traditional  ideas  of  the 
emperor's  superhuman  attributes  to  admit  his 
wife  to  an  equality ;  but  these  oriental  customs 
and  traditions  are  too  complicated  to  waste  time 
over  them.  The  more  you  study  them  the  more 
confused  you  get. 

90 


The  Imperial  Family 

Her  imperial  majesty  was  much  more  gra- 
cious, however,  than  her  husband.  He  did  not 
leave  his  car  from  one  end  of  the  journey  to  the 
other,  and  was  represented  by  the  minister  of 
the  imperial  household  at  all  the  functions  on 
the  road.  She  came  several  times  to  the  plat- 
forms that  were  erected  for  reception  ceremonies 
and  received  memorials  in  writing,  bouquets, 
trays  of  cakes,  which  signify  hospitality,  and 
caskets  containing  the  visiting  cards  of  the 
reception  committees,  but  all  the  speeches  were 
made  in  her  behalf  by  the  grand  master  of  cere- 
monies. But  she  smiled  and  bowed  and  waved 
her  hand  at  the  people,  and  at  Yokohama  she 
asked  that  the  ropes  which  surrounded  the  plat- 
form might  be  taken  away,  so  that  the  people 
could  come  nearer  to  her.  As  a  measure  of  pre- 
caution the  police  had  roped  off  an  area  about 
one  hundred  yards  square  to  accommodate  fifty 
or  sixty  dignitaries. 

Several  times  on  the  journey  her  majesty 
came  out  on  the  platform  of  the  car  and  smiled 
and  bowed  to  the  crowds  that  were  assembled 
together,  and  afforded  them  an  immense  amount 
of  gratification,  for  it  isn't  often  that  a  Japanese 
peasant  has  an  opportunity  to  look  at  a  queen. 
She  was  dressed  in  a  delicate  mauve  gown,  made 
in  Paris,  with  a  bonnet  to  match,  which  was 
quite  gay  for  a  traveling  costume,  and  all  the 
ladies  of  her  escort  wore  foreign  fashions.  Not 
91 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

a  person  in  the  entire  cortege  appeared  in  the 
native  dress.  The  servants  were  in  livery,  the 
ladies  in  waiting,  of  whom  there  «ere  a  dozen  or 
more,  wore  gowns  of  light  colors  and  light 
gloves,  more  suitable  for  a  lawn  party  than  a 
railway  journey,  while  the  men  folk  that  did  not 
have  uniforms  wore  dress  suits  of  black  broad- 
cloth, white  gloves  and  most  ridiculous  silk  hats. 

The  same  school  children  and  guilds  of  pro- 
fessional and  commercial  men  that  received  the 
emperor  on  the  day  previous  sung  the  same 
songs  and  presented  similar  testimonials  to  the 
imperial  consort,  and  although  the  crowd  was 
not  so  large  either  at  Tokyo  or  Yokohama  it  was 
equally  enthusiastic  and  shouted  "Banzai  !" 
quite  as  ardently. 

One  of  the  local  papers  said : 

"  It  is  noticeable  that  now  for  the  first  time  have 
Japanese  crowds  begun  to  open  their  lungs  as  the 
sovereign  passes.  The  most  complete  silence,  deco- 
rous and  reverential,  used  invariably  to  be  preserved, 
but  bursts  of  cheering  have  at  last  become  the  rule  as 
in  other  countries.  "Banzai !"  is  an  excellent  form  of 
shout.  It  has  a  fine  full  sound,  and  a  man  finds  no 
difficulty  in  putting  his  whole  soul  into  it.  But  though 
the  people  have  readily  adopted  this  innovation  from 
the  West,  the  emperor  and  empress  still  retain  the 
traditional  attitude  of  dignified  calm.  Throughout 
the  drive  from  the  train  to  the  palace  each  of  the 
imperial  personages  obeyed  the  same  rule,  gazed 
steadily  at  the  line  of  troops  presenting  arms,  and 
took  not  the  slightest  notice  of  the  cheering  crowd." 
92 


The  Imperial  Family 

This  is  all  true  except  the  last  sentence,  so  far 
as  it  refers  to  the  empress.  She  smiled  and 
bowed  to  the  shouting  multitude  as  cordially 
and  as  gracefully  as  Mrs.  Cleveland  could  have 
done,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the  demonstrations. 
The  imperial  master  of  ceremonies,  who  sat 
upon  the  front  seat  of  her  carriage,  frowned  and 
looked  very  forbidding,  but  Haru  Ko  was  as 
gracious  as  could  be. 

The  empress  has  no  imperial  blood  in  her 
veins,  but  is  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  five 
noblest  families  of  the  empire,  for  the  laws  of 
Japan,  and  wisely,  I  think,  forbid  the  dilution  of 
the  vitality  of  their  rulers  by  the  marriage  of 
relatives.  The  only  destiny  open  to  a  princess 
is  to  marry  some  noble  below  her  rank  or  go 
into  a  Shinto  convent.  Some  of  the  nations  of 
Europe  might  well  adopt  this  custom  and  breed 
a  stronger  race  of  kings. 

I  suppose  the  time  will  come  when  the 
Mikado  may  look  for  a  wife  among  the  royal 
households  of  Europe,  but  at  present  his  con- 
sorts—  I  speak  in  the  plural  —  are  selected  for 
him  by  the  imperial  council.  He  is  supposed  to 
have  nothing  to  say  about  it  for  himself,  but  has 
to  accept  the  brides  they  bring  him. 

As  Artemus  Ward  would  have  said,  Mrs. 
Mutsu  Hito  is  nine  in  number — one  empress 
and  eight  imperial  concubines,  but  the  latter 
have  no  social  rank  and  never  appear  on  cere- 

93 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

monial  occasions.  They  seem  to  be  a  sort  of 
guaranty  that  there  shall  be  an  heir  to  the 
throne,  as  their  children  are  recognized  as  of 
full  standing  in  the  royal  pedigree,  and  the 
present  heir-apparent  is  the  son  of  one  of  them. 
They  also  are  selected  by  the  council  from 
among  the  daughters  of  the  first  families  in  the 
land  because  of  their  pure  blood,  their  health 
and  beauty,  and  sometimes  for  political  reasons, 
for  it  is  considered  the  highest  distinction  that 
can  be  conferred  upon  a  woman  in  Japan — to  be 
empress  is  only  nobler.  The  left-handed  wives 
of  the  emperor  often  wield  a  tremendous  politi- 
cal influence,  for  obvious  reasons,  and  their 
relatives  are  supposed  to  profit  thereby.  They 
live  in  the  greatest  luxury,  are  surrounded  by 
multitudes  of  attendants,  and  except  for  their 
omission  in  the  court  codes  of  etiquette,  which 
do  not  provide  for  them,  they  stand  equal  to  the 
empress  herself. 

Haru  Ko,  the  empress,  is  the  third  daughter 
of  the  late  Prince  Ichijo  Tadaka,  who  resided  in 
Tokyo,  and  was  a  very  highly  respected  gentle- 
man, tracing  back  his  ancestry  through  the 
Fujiwara  family  for  a  thousand  years.  Her 
name  means  "  Springtime."  She  was  born  in 
1850,  and  was  married  in  1869,  when  she  was  19 
years  old  and  the  emperor  was  only  17.  He 
had  just  passed  through  the  revolution  which 
ended  the  tyranny  of  the  tycoon,  and  had  been 
94 


The  Imperial  Family 

brought  to  the  new  capital  at  Tokyo  as  the 
recognized  ruler  of  the  people.  Her  father  had 
been  active  in  the  struggle,  and  as  he  repre- 
sented one  of  the  largest  and  most  influential 
families  in  Japan  the  selection  of  his  daughter  as 
a  bride  for  the  young  Mikado  was  appropriate, 
and  approved  by  the  nation.  She  has  never  had 
children,  which  is  a  great  disappointment  to  the 
people  as  well  as  to  the  emperor  and  herself. 

The  empress  was  brought  up  and  educated 
in  the  old-fashioned  way,  which  makes  the  readi- 
ness with  which  she  adopted  foreign  manners 
and  customs  the  more  remarkable.  Before  her 
marriage  she  had  been  carefully  trained  in  the 
old  code  of  etiquette,  and  knew  absolutely  noth- 
ing of  modern  civilization,  but  when  the  resto- 
ration took  place  and  foreign  ideas  came  into 
fashion  she  was  furnished  with  instructors  and 
adapted  herself  with  the  greatest  skill  and  grace 
to  the  new  regime,  so  that  in  all  things  she  is 
the  actual  as  well  as  the  nominal  leader  of  the 
court.  Although  she  takes  no  interest  in  politics 
she  is  largely  engaged  in  benevolent  and  educa- 
tional movements,  and  presided  over  the  com- 
mittee that  arranged  for  the  famous  exhibit  in  the 
woman's  building  at  the  Columbian  exposition. 
She  appears  frequently  at  ceremonial  entertain- 
ments, at  the  openings  of  exhibitions,  corner- 
stone layings,  and  the  inauguration  of  public 
enterprises,  garden  parties,  and  that  sort  of 
95 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

thing,  and  conducts  herself  with  quite  as  much 
dignity  and  grace  as  the  remarkable  woman  who 
now  presides  at  the  White  house  in  Washington. 

At  solemn  court  functions  the  emperor  sits 
alone  in  a  gilded  chair  upon  a  low  platform 
under  a  canopy,  as  becomes  a  son  of  heaven  who 
can  count  back  his  ancestors  for  2,500  years. 
The  empress  sits  upon  a  platform  to  the  right,  a 
little  below  the  throne,  surrounded  by  the  rest  of 
the  imperial  family.  This  recognition  of  women 
is  the  most  striking  feature  of  the  late  reforma- 
tion. In  former  times  the  empress  was  only  an 
inmate  of  the  harem,  secluded  and  excluded  like 
the  rest,  but  on  February  n,  1889,  the  Mikado  did 
two  things  which  make  him  memorable  among 
the  greatest  monarchs  of  history.  He  relin- 
quished the  autocratic  power  he  had  inherited 
from  his  ancestors,  gave  Japan  a  constitutional 
government,  and  for  the  first  time  the  equality 
of  women  was  recognized  in  his  dominions. 

It  took  some  years  for  the  empress  to  accus- 
tom herself  to  modern  ideas.  She  stopped 
blacking  her  teeth  and  let  her  eyebrows  grow 
immediately  after  her  marriage,  but  it  was  not 
until  1886  that  she  discarded  the  kimono  of  her 
race  and  adopted  the  fashions  of  Paris,  and  even 
then  the  etiquette  of  the  court  forbade  the  vulgar 
hands  of  a  dressmaker  to  touch  the  sacred  person 
of  an  empress,  so  the  wife  of  Count  Ito,  the 
prime  minister,  who  is  about  her  size  and  figure, 
96 


The  Imperial  Family 

was  used  as  a  model  for  measuring  and  fitting 
her  majesty's  wardrobe.  There  was  a  solemn 
protest  from  both  natives  and  foreigners  against 
the  abandonment  of  the  artistic  drapery  of  the 
Japanese  for  the  stiff,  conventional  garments  of 
Europe  and  America,  but  it  was  a  matter  of 
politics,  and  the  council  of  ministers  ordered 
that  the  Mikado's  wife  must  set  an  example  to 
her  subjects  in  introducing  "modern  improve- 
ments." It  was  not  until  the  adoption  of  the 
constitution,  however,  that  she  appeared  in  pub- 
lic in  her  Paris  gowns,  and  even  now  she  is  said 
to  wear  the  native  costume  in  the  privacy  of  her 
palace,  for  which  one  cannot  blame  her,  as  cor- 
sets and  tight-fitting  bodices  must  be  very  un- 
comfortable to  one  whose  form  grew  in  nature's 
mold  under  the  loose  kimono. 

The  empress  is  supposed  to  speak  English, 
but  she  never  does.  When  addressed  in  English 
by  ladies  who  have  been  permitted  to  approach 
her  she  listens  and  smiles  and  keeps  silent.  She 
is  a  tiny  little  thing,  delicate  and  slender,  about 
as  large  as  the  ordinary  girl  of  10  years  in  Amer- 
ica, She  has  a  long,  thin  face,  with  the  Japan- 
ese eyes,  pointed  chin  and  flat  features,  and 
conceals  her  natural  complexion  and  the  color 
of  her  lips  by  the  use  of  native  cosmetics  which 
do  not  embellish  beauty. 

I  suppose  I  should  say  that  she  is  beautiful 
and  graceful  and  all  that,  but  she  isn't  if  one 
97 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

judge  by  the  classic  types.  No  Japanese  woman 
looks  well  in  a  modern  costume,  not  even  an 
empress. 

The  private  affairs  of  the  emperor  are  man- 
aged by  the  minister  of  the  household.  He 
occupies  a  fine  building  of  French  architecture 
near  the  entrance  to  the  palace  grounds,  with  a 
large  staff  of  secretaries  and  assistants.  It  takes 
a  great  many  men  and  a  great  deal  of  money  to 
look  after  the  welfare  of  the  Mikado,  but  most 
of  their  time  is  taken  up  by  the  almost  ceaseless 
ceremony  that  has  been  inherited  from  ancient 
times.  Occasionally  they  lop  off  a  nonsensical 
formality  that  was  introduced  to  gratify  the  van- 
ity of  some  prince  or  please  some  Mikado,  but 
there  is  still  plenty  of  it  left,  and  between  the 
devotion  he  pays  to  the  dead  and  the  devotion 
he  receives  from  the  living  Mutsu  Hito  has  a 
pretty  busy  time. 

As  an  example,  he  is  the  one  hundred  and 
twenty-second  emperor  of  his  line,  and  each  of 
his  predecessors  has  a  birthday  or  some  other 
anniversary  upon  which  his  memory  must  be 
honored  by  worship  before  the  tablets  that  bear 
his  names  and  important  statistical  information. 

A  bureau  of  ritual  composed  of  ten  laymen 
and  a  number  of  Shinto  priests,  who  are  mostly 
members  of  the  imperial  family  or  related  to  the 
emperor  in  some  way,  assist  him  in  his  religious 
duties  and  often  worship  his  ancestors  in  his 
98 


The  Imperial  Family 

place  when  he  has  something  more  important  to 
do.  They  keep  watch  of  the  calendar,  and  when 
the  birthday  of  some  particular  ancestor  arrives, 
and  often  two  were  born  on  the  same  date — 
which  was  very  kind  of  them  and  saves  quite  a 
good  deal  of  the  imperial  time — their  tablets  are 
brought  out  from  the  handsome  lacquer  boxes 
and  brocade  wrappings  in  which  they  are  pre- 
served and  placed  upon  a  shrine  in  the  palace 
with  bowls  of  rice  and  other  food,  cups  of  sake", 
fresh  flowers  appropriate  to  the  season,  foliage 
plants  and  other  ornaments  that  belong  to  the 
outfit  of  the  particular  person  who  is  to  be  wor- 
shiped. At  a  certain  hour  in  the  day,  with  great 
pomp  and  ceremony,  the  emperor  appears  at 
the  head  of  a  procession  of  princes  and  priests, 
and  prays  for  the  assistance  and  blessing  of  that 
particular  ancestor,  who  has  been  deified  and 
now  lives  among  the  gods,  able  to  exercise  an 
influence  for  good  or  for  evil  over  the  affairs  of 
mortals. 

If  any  misfortune  overtakes  the  state  or  if 
anything  happens  to  the  emperor  it  is  usually 
attributed  to  his  neglect  of  his  religious  duties, 
and  those  who  attend  to  such  affairs  endeavor  to 
trace  back  the  difficulty  to  the  evil  influence  of 
some  neglected  ancestor. 

The  ancestral  tablet  is  a  rather  insignificant 
looking  affair,  being  a  piece  of  wood  about  eight 
inches  long  and  three  inches  wide  mortised  into 
99 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

a  little  pedestal  that  is  usually  beautifully  carved 
and  gilded.  The  tablet  itself  often  bears  orna- 
ments of  gold,  but  is  usually  covered  with  plain 
black  lacquer  and  the  necessary  lettering  in  gold. 
Every  man  who  dies  is  given  a  posthumous  name 
under  which  he  is  deified,  and  it  usually  has  refer- 
ence to  some  of  his  achievements  while  living. 

While  the  bureau  of  ritual  looks  after  the  re- 
ligious duties  of  the  Mikado,  the  bureau  of  cere- 
monies, which  consists  of  a  grand  master  and 
twenty  assistants,  mostly  marquises,  counts  and 
viscounts,  attends  to  formalities  that  relate  to  the 
living,  and  theirs  is  a  very  delicate  and  perplex- 
ing duty.  They  arrange  for  all  dinners  and  re- 
ceptions, for  public  and  private  audiences,  teas, 
garden  parties  and  balls,  and  as  everything  is 
done  by  rote  and  the  etiquette  is  very  exacting, 
it  requires  a  great  deal  of  time  and  attention  to 
arrange  the  daily  programme  for  the  Mikado  and 
get  in  and  out  of  the  palace  in  a  proper  manner 
the  people  that  his  imperial  majesty  has  to  see. 

The  empress  has  her  own  establishment,  en- 
tirely separate  and  distinct,  her  own  privy  purse, 
chamberlain  and  stewards,  and  is  just  as  inde- 
pendent of  the  rest  of  the  royal  family  as  if  she 
were  alone  in  the  world.  The  same  is  true  of 
the  empress-dowager,  the  mother  of  his  majesty, 
who  lives  outside  the  palace  grounds  in  a  beau- 
tiful chateau  that  is  screened  from  observation 
by  a  miniature  forest  and  tall  yellow  walls.  The 


The  Imperial  Family 

eight  concubines  of  the  emperor  live  in  a  de- 
tached palace  connected  with  the  emperor's  resi- 
dence by  an  arcade.  Each  has  her  separate 
suite  of  apartments,  her  maids  and  other  attend- 
ants, and  the  whole  are  under  the  control  of  one 
of  the  nine  chamberlains  of  the  imperial  house- 
hold. But  very  little  is  known  of  them,  and 
they  all  might  die  and  be  buried  and  turn  to 
dust  without  the  public  being  any  the  wiser. 

There  is  a  bureau  of  music,  a  bureau  of  dec- 
orations, a  bureau  of  finance,  which  supervises 
the  expenditure  of  the  $3,000,000  which  is  ap- 
propriated annually  by  parliament  for  the 
expenses  of  the  imperial  household ;  a  bureau  of 
palace  keepers,  who  look  after  the  thirty  palaces 
that  belong  to  the  imperial  family  in  different 
parts  of  the  empire,  as  well  as  those  in  which 
the  Mikado  lives  at  Tokyo  and  Kyoto,  and  a 
bureau  of  the  imperial  estates,  which  attends  to 
the  management  of  the  private  property  of  the 
emperor,  for  he  has  farms,  forests,  factories,  real 
estate  of  various  kinds,  and  other  investments, 
like  any  gentleman,  although  I  presume  he 
knows  very  little  about  them.  There  is  also  a 
bureau  of  construction  and  repairs,  a  bureau  of 
provisions  and  cookery  and  a  bureau  of  hunt- 
ing, which  sees  that  the  game  preserves  that  be- 
long to  the  crown  are  not  poached  upon.  The 
emperor  never  went  hunting  in  his  life,  but  he 
might  want  to  do  so,  and  if  everything  wasn't 
101 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

ready  for  him,  with  plenty  of  deer,  stags,  boars, 
pheasants  and  other  wild  birds  and  beasts,  there 
would  be  a  tremendous  scandal. 

The  imperial  stables  have  a  bureau  to  look 
after  them  ;  also  the  imperial  tombs  and  the 
imperial  library  and  private  records.  There  is 
a  museum  attached  to  the  palace  which  requires 
the  attention  of  several  learned  pundits,  and  a 
large  collection  of  antiquities  that  have  de- 
scended from  one  generation  of  emperors  to 
another,  including  ceremonial  gowns,  swords, 
armor  and  wardrobes,  and  they  all  have  to  be 
dusted  and  inspected  occasionally  by  men  ap- 
pointed especially  for  that  purpose.  The  pal- 
ace police  and  fire  department  are  managed  by 
a  marquis,  who  is  held  responsible  for  the  safety 
of  the  imperial  property,  and  a  bureau  of  medi- 
cine, consisting  of  fourteen  native  physicians, 
looks  after  the  health  of  the  family  and  all  those 
who  attend  at  the  palace.  There  is  also  a  com- 
mission of  venerable  nobles  whose  sole  duty  is 
to  protect  the  privy  seal,  which  is  the  most 
sacred  thing  about  the  palace  except  the  person 
of  the  emperor  himself,  and  cannot  be  attached 
to  any  document  except  in  the  presence  of 
two  or  more  of  its  custodians,  who  record  the 
fact  and  the  circumstances  in  a  big  book  kept 
for  that  purpose. 

Each  of  these  bureaus  is  under  the  direction 
of  a  president,  who  is  either  a  prince,  a  marquis, 
102 


The  Imperial  Family 

or  a  count,  and  although  one  would  judge  from 
my  description  that  their  duties  must  be  light, 
they  make  a  great  deal  of  hard  work  in  perform- 
ing them. 

There  are  thirty  palaces  belonging  to  the 
imperial  family  in  various  parts  of  the  country, 
but  the  present  emperor  has  never  occupied 
more  than  three  or  four  of  them,  and  some  of 
them  he  has  never  seen.  The  emperor  seldom 
leaves  the  new  palaces  at  Tokyo,  which  are  more 
modern  and  comfortable  than  any  of  the  others, 
and  were  only  completed  in  1888.  They  consist 
of  a  labyrinth  of  one-story  buildings,  all  con- 
nected by  covered  passages  and  surrounding 
beautiful  courts.  Their  architecture  is  of  the 
ancient  Japanese  style,  with  high  roofs  at  sharp 
angles  and  heavy  gray  tiles,  and  the  interior  of 
most  of  them  is  finished  in  the  native  fashion, 
with  partitions  of  sliding  screens  and  floor  mat- 
ting, which  the  inmates  use  for  beds,  chairs  and 
tables,  as  it  happens  to  be  necessary.  But  sev- 
eral of  the  rooms  have  French  furniture  of  or- 
nate and  expensive  workmanship,  much  of  it 
being  rosewood  handsomely  carved  and  inlaid. 
The  apartments  occupied  by  the  emperor  and 
empress  are  furnished  in  that  way.  Both  prefer  to 
sleep  in  a  modern  bed  and  sit  on  a  chair  before  a 
table,  with  knives  and  forks  and  china,  when 
they  take  their  meals. 

Built  upon  uneven  ground  and  separated  by 
103 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

long  covered  corridors  that  may  be  cut  away  in 
case  of  a  fire,  one  is  continually  going  up  and 
down  stairs  and  through  dark  passages  when  he 
visits  the  palace,  and  it  seems  strange  to  see 
steam  heat  and  electric  lights  in  apartments  that 
are  separated  by  gilded  screens  and  lighted  by 
paper  windows. 

The  state  dining-room  is  very  Frenchy.  The 
walls  are  covered  with  oil  paintings,  the  several 
mantels  with  gilt  clocks,  and  the  sideboards  with 
china  and  crystal  that  resemble  what  you  see  in 
the  Chicago  shops.  The  ballroom  has  a  costly 
inlaid  floor  and  is  decorated  in  white  and  gold. 
The  throneroom,  which  is  used  only  on  occa- 
sions of  the  greatest  ceremony,  has  an  inlaid 
floor,  handsome  chandeliers  of  European  manu- 
facture, window  hangings  of  exquisite  Japanese 
brocade  and  a  paneled  ceiling  ornamented  with 
the  imperial  crest.  The  throne  is  a  large  arm- 
chair, handsomely  carved  and  gilded,  standing 
upon  a  platform  that  is  covered  with  a  red  rug 
and  under  a  canopy  of  red  plush  with  gold 
fringe  and  tassels. 

The  emperor  has  a  suite  of  private  apart- 
ments, consisting  of  libraries,  studies,  smoking 
and  dressing-rooms,  which  are  finished  in  the 
Japanese  style  with  unpainted  woodwork,  paper 
windows  and  sliding  screens,  but  the  floors  are 
covered  with  moquette  carpets  and  the  furniture 
was  all  imported  from  France.  He  also  has  a 
104 


The  Imperial  Family 

fireplace,  the  only  one  in  the  palace,  in  which 
pine  wood  is  burned,  but  his  sleeping-room  is 
the  same  unventilated,  unlighted  and  unattract- 
ive closet  that  his  ancestors  used.  It  stands  in 
the  center  of  a  group  of  rooms  which  are  always 
occupied  at  night  by  his  bodyguard,  so  that  the 


A 


LOCATION  OF  THE    EMPEROR'S  BEDROOM. 

imperial  person  cannot  be  approached  from  any 
direction  without  an  alarm  being  given.  There 
are  nine  square  apartments,  as  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying diagram,  and  the  emperor's  French 
bed  is  erected  in  the  central  one,  marked  "A." 
The  guards  in  the  other  rooms  are  specially 
selected  for  their  bravery  and  fidelity,  and  are 
descendants  of  those  who  performed  a  similar 
duty  for  previous  sovereigns. 
105 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

All  the  formal  banquets,  breakfasts  and 
luncheons  given  at  the  palace  are  served  in  for- 
eign style,  except  a  breakfast  which  the  emperor 
gives  on  his  birthday  to  the  members  of  the  im- 
perial family — his  uncles  and  his  cousins  and 
his  aunts.  Then  chop-sticks  and  lacquer  bowls 
are  used  for  the  native  food,  and  sake",  the  na- 
tive drink,  is  served  in  little  cups,  as  small  and 
as  thin  as  an  eggshell.  The  empress  often 
gives  a  ceremonial  tea,  the  famous  rite  of  Cha- 
no-yu,  to  her  favorites  among  the  ladies  of  the 
court,  more  for  the  purpose  of  perpetuating  an 
ancient  custom  than  for  social  enjoyment. 


106 


IV 
The  Tycoon  in  Seclusion 

In  the  last  half  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
during  a  period  of  anarchy,  a  great  man  ap- 
peared in  Japan — the  greatest  in  the  history  of 
the  empire.  He  came  from  the  samurai  or 
military  class;  he  was  a  soldier  of  fortune;  his 
name  was  Tokugawa  leyasu,  and  he  founded  a 
dynasty  which  continued  to  rule  the  empire  for 
more  than  250  years  in  profound  peace.  It  was 
the  golden  age  in  Japan.  Nagasaki  was  the  only 
place  in  the  empire  at  which  intercourse  with 
foreigners  was  permitted,  and  no  nation  but  the 
Dutch  were  allowed  to  trade  even  there  until 
1853,  when  the  government  of  the  United  States, 
through  Commodore  Perry,  broke  down  the 
policy  of  isolation.  When  it  fell  the  whole 
structure  of  mediaeval  feudalismcollapsed. The 
shogunate  was  abolished^ The  emperor  emerged 
from  his  enforced  seclusion  and  was  restored  to 
actual  power. 

But  the  Tycoon  leyasu  was  njjt  the  author  of 
the  policy  ofisolaticm.  He  was  a  broad-minded, 
wise  and  progressive  man.  He  was  to  Japan 
107 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

what  Peter  the  Great  was  to  Russia,  Frederick 
the  Great  to  Prussia  and  Charlemagne  to  France. 
He  was  not  only  a  soldier,  but  a  statesman,  a 
law-giver  and  a  patron  of  the  arts  and  sciences. 
His  code  of  100  laws,  by  which  Japan  was  gov- 
erned for  nearly  three  centuries,  was  worthy  of 
Solon  himself,  and  to  him  was  due  the  develop- 
ment of  Japanese  art,  industry  and  literature. 

leyasu  worked  his  way  up  from  the  ranks  to 
the  command  of  the  army,  until  in  1603  he  ex- 
acted from  the  emperor  the  title  of  shogun,  or 
tycoon  (literally  "generaMn-chiej "),  grasped 
all  the  power  of  the  government  in  his  own 
hands  and  placed  the  Mikado  upon  a  secluded 
pedestal  behind  the  golden  doors  of  the  palace 
at  Kyoto.  The  people  worshiped  him  as  a  div- 
inity, while  leyasu  and  his  successors  reigned  as 
regents  in  his  name.  leyasu  built  powerful 
strongholds  and  established  arsenals,  constructed 
a  system  of  admirable  highways  throughout  the 
country,  introduced  a  postal  service  and  pro- 
mulgated laws  which,  if  the  theory  of  paternal 
government  may  be  appfc>ved7  were  The  best 
in  use  on  the  continent  of  Asia  and  in  most  of 
the  countries  of  Europe  at  his  time.  It  was  his 
grandson,  lemitsu,  the  third  shogun  of  the  Toku- 
gawa  dynasty,  who  suppressed  Christianity, 
closed  the__country  against  foreigners  and  for- 
bade his  own  subjects  to  go  abroad.  He  per- 
fected the  system  of  govern meht  which  his 
108 


The  Tycoon  in  Seclusion 

grandfather  established,  but  was  not  so  able  nor 
so  wise  a  man. 

The  tomb  of  leyasu  at  Nikko  is  the  most 
splendid  piece  of  architecture  in  the  East.  In 
accordance  with  the  Shinto  faith  the  Japanese 
worship  him  as  a  god  under  the  name  of  To- 
sho-gu  (the  general  who  illuminated  the  east)  in 
allusion  to  the  fact  that  his  greatest  glory  was 
accomplished  in  eastern  Japan.  The  series  of 
magnificent  temples  at  Nikko  are  nearly  all  ded- 
icated to  leyasu  and  his  grandson  lemitsu,  and 
there  is  nothing  in  all  the  world  to  compare  with 
them  for  carving,  gilding  and  other  decorative 
work.  Nikko  is  the  most  sacred  of  all  the  sacred 
places  of  Japan.  It  lies  in  a  narrow  valley, 
walled  in  by  a  range  of  sacred  mountains  still 
covered  with  primeval  forests,  and  legend  has 
peopled  them  with  impossible  beings — demons 
and  dragons,  giants  and  gnomes,  fairies  and 
elfins.  It  is  like  the  Black  forest  of  Germany  in 
the  mythology  of  the  people,  and  the  scenes  of 
most  of  the  fairy  stories  in  the  literature  of  the 
country  are  laid  there. 

With  its  vast  groves  of  majestic  trees  shading 
broad  avenues  and  staircases,  its  imposing  tem- 
ples, monasteries  and  palaces,  Nikko  has  a 
strange  fascination  for  the  stranger,  and  its  calm, 
serious  air  attracts  pilgrims,  poets,  scholars, 
artists  and  all  who  love  the  picturesque  to  rest 
and  reflect  awhile  among  the  sacred  groves. 
109 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

Everything  is  old  and  moss-grown,  except  the 
gold  and  red  lacquer  that  adorns  the  temples,  and 
all  the  splendid  paths  lead  to  two  great  sanctu- 
aries in  which  the  bones  of  leyasu  and  lemitsu 
lie.  No  nation  could  pay  a  higher  tribute  to  its 
great  men. 

The  early  and  the  latter  days  of  leyasu  were 
spent  at  Shizuoka,  where  he  was  educated  at  a 
Buddhist  temple  called  Rin-dai-ji  (literally, 
wood-great-temple),  and  its  roof  still  shelters 
precious  relics  of  his  youth  and  manhood  and 
old  age.  His  saddles  and  swords,  the  camp 
equipage  he  carried  in  war,  the  garments  he 
wore  on  ceremonial  occasions  and  his  military 
dress,  many  books  that  contain  his  writings,  in- 
cluding an  autograph  letter  from  one  of  the 
Mikados,  and  even  some  specimen  fossils  that  he 
once  collected,  are  preserved  with  religious  care 
and  exhibited  with  reverence.  We  were  shown 
the  rooms  in  which  he  lived  during  his  old  age, 
and  a  plum  tree  that  he  planted  shortly  before 
his  death,  which  is  now  gnarled  and  hoary,  sur- 
rounded by  a  fence  to  protect  it  and  propped 
up  by  supports.  On  the  other  side  of  the  tem- 
ple is  a  little  pine  tree  that  was  planted  by  the 
present  crown  prince  in  1894. 

(The  successors  of  leyasu  came  here  at  cer- 
tain times  of  the  year  to  worship  their  ancestor, 
and  when  Hitosu-Bashi,  the  last  of  the  tycoons, 
was  overthrown  in  1868,  he  retired  to  the  old 
no 


The  Tycoon  in  Seclusion 

family  estate,  and  has  spent  the  years  of  reform 
in  the  strictest  seclusion.  He  has  left  the  place 
but  once,  and  that  was  when  his  wife  died  in 
Tokyo  in  1893,  and  he  never  admits  any  one  to 
his  presence,  not  even  the  nobles  that  once  com- 
posed his  court.  The  only^_gersons  he^vlll  see 
are~m embers  of  the  imperial  family,  who  some- 
times come  to  Shizupka,  and  nine  of  his  old  re- 
tainers who  have  remained  faithful  to  him  and 
afford  him  companionship  in  his  solitude?) 

His  residence  is  in  the  center  of  a  park  about 
as  large  as  six  or  seven  city  blocks  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  hedge  and  a  high  black  wooden 
fence.  It  lies  on  the  edge  of  Shizuoka,  where 
the  houses  and  the  ricefields  meet,  only  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  the  old  temple  at  which  his 
ancestor  was  educated.  Shizuoka  is  in  the  heart 
of  the  tea  country,  and  from  any  street  corner  a 
beautiful  view  of  Fujiyama,  the  sacred  volcano, 
can  be  obtained. 

We  thought  perhaps  even  a  dethroned  sho- 
gun  might  admit  a  party  of  pilgrims  to  his  pres- 
ence, so  we  stopped  off  at  Shizuoka  while  on  our 
way  to  Kyoto  and  took  jinrikishas  to  his  palace. 
A  stately  looking  attendant  stopped  us  at  the 
porter's  lodge  and  asked  our  business.  The  in- 
terpreter explained  that  three  Americans,  one  of 
them  an  officer  in  the  United  States  army,  de- 
sired to  pay  their  respects  to  the  shogun,  and 
handed  him  our  cards.  A  dignified  smile  encir- 
iii 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

cled  his  lips  as  he  looked  us  over,  and  he  replied 
politely  that,  although  he  feared  his  highness 
would  decline  to  see  us,  as  he  did  everybody 
else,  he  would  be  glad  to  carry  our  cards  and 
our  message  to  him.  In  the  meantime  he  invited 
us  out  of  the  sun  into  the  cool  rooms  of  his  cot- 
tage, where  his  wife  and  mother  received  us  cor- 
dially and  gossiped  about  the  shogun  as  fast  as 
their  tongues  could  talk.  They  said  he  was  six- 
ty-six years  old,  has  two  wives  living  with  him 
there  and  buried  another  two  years  before 
in  Tokyo.  He  has  twelve  children,  all  of  whom 
are  residing  in  Tokyo  except  the  three  young- 
est, who  are  at  home.  Some  of  the  children 
are  grown  up  and  married,  others  are  receiv- 
ing a  modern  education  at  what  is  known  as  the 
nobles'  schools,  where  the  children  of  princes 
and  peers  only  are  admitted.  The  prince  hasn't 
been  out  of  Shizuoka  for  nearly  twenty-five 
years,  except  once  two  years  ago,  when  his  wife, 
who  was  visiting  her  son  in  Tokyo,  was  taken 
seriously  ill  and  sent  for  him  to  come  to  her 
bedside. 

A  great  many  of  his  friends  and  admirers, 
the  old  dames  said,  always  called  and  left  their 
cards  when  they  came  to  Shizuoka,  but  he  never 
saw  them.  Once  in  a  while  one  of  the  princes 
of  the  imperial  family  came  down,  whom  he  is 
compelled  to  admit  out  of  respect  to  the  em- 
peror, but  he  never  seeks  their  society.  The  crown 
112 


RECENT    PORTRAIT    OF    THE    EMPEROR. 


The  Tycoon  in  Seclusion 

prince  was  there  last  spring  and  made  a  little 
visit,  but  when  the  emperor  stopped  off  at  Shiz- 
uoka  on  his  way  to  the  capital  in  June  the  sho- 
gun  did  not  offer  to  entertain  him,  but  let  him 
go  to  a  hotel.  He  did  not  even  call  upon  his 
sovereign  there  ;  and  has  seen  him  but  once 
since  the  restoration  of  1868.  That  was  while 
he  was  in  Tokyo  after  the  funeral  of  his  wife. 
His  majesty  sent  a  letter  of  condolence  and  the 
etiquette  of  the  country  required  him  to  ac- 
knowledge it  by  a  personal  call. 

When  we  asked  what  his  highness  thought 
about  the  progress  of  Japan  and  the  foreign 
ideas  that  were  being  adopted  by  everybody,  they 
replied  that  he  never  discussed  the  subject,  but 
he  must  be  favorable  to  them  because  he  always 
wore  European  dress  when  he  went  out,  is  edu- 
cating his  children  in  modern  schools  where  there 
are  foreign  instructors,  takes  foreign  newspapers 
and  other  publications  and  buys  many  foreign 
books.  He  cannot  read  any  language  but  his 
own,  but  often  has  French  and  English  literature 
translated  to  him  by  his  retainers. 

For  exercise  his  highness  has  an  archery 
court  within  his  grounds,  rides  horseback  a  great 
deal,  and  often  hunts  and  fishes  in  the  moun- 
tains around  Shizuoka. 

While  we  were  thus  gossiping  the  porter  came 
back  with  a  message  that  the  major-domo  de- 
sired to  see  our  interpreter,  and  we  thought  the 

"3 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

shogun  had  decided  to  admit  us  to  his  august 
presence,  but  Sano  soon  came  back  with  an  ex- 
planation that  his  highness  only  wanted  to  know 
who  we  were,  and  where  we  came  from,  and  to 
have  our  cards  translated  into  Japanese  for  him. 
The  major-domo  said  the  tycoon  was  very  sorry 
to  disappoint  us,  but  made  it  a  rule  never  to 
admit  any  one  to  his  presence.  He  was  living 
in  absolute  retirement  and  denied  himself  to  all 
visitors. 

The  family  of  the  shogun  is  active  in  public 
affairs,  although  he  remains  in  seclusion,  as  a 
permanent  protest,  I  suppose,  against  his  over- 
throw and  the  innovations  that  have  followed  it. 
His  oldest  son  stands  at  the  head  of  the  nobility, 
only  one  grade  below  the  princes  of  the  imperial 
house.  He  is  known  as  Prince  Tokugawa.  He 
lives  at  Sendagaya,  a  suburb  of  Tokyo,  and  is  an 
active  member  of  the  house  of  peers.  He  was 
educated  in  England,  and  spent  seven  years 
there  and  on  the  continent.  The  second  son, 
the  Marquis  Tokugawa,  was  also  educated 
abroad  and  speaks  French  and  English  fluently. 
He  is  vice-grand  master  of  ceremonies  at  the 
imperial  palace.  A  third  son,  Viscount  Toku- 
gawa, is  a  graduate  of  the  Imperial  university 
and  has  recently  returned  from  an  extended 
journey  abroad.  He  is  an  enthusiastic  devotee 
of  photography  and  president  of  the  Amateur 
society  in  Japan.  The  sons  visit  their  father  reg- 
114 


The  Tycoon  in  Seclusion 

ularly  and  manage  his  immense  property  for 
him.  He  has  estates  in  several  provinces  of 
Japan,  which  were  allowed  to  remain  in  his 
possession  when  what  was  considered  public 
property  was  seized  by  the  crown  at  the  time  of 
his  overthrow. 

In  area,  as  well  as  in  population,  Tokyo  is 
one  of  the  largest  cities  in  the  world.  It  has 
more  than  1,300,000  inhabitants  and  covers  an 
area  of  100  square  miles.  The  old  name  was 
Yedo,  so  called  in  honor  of  one  Yedo  Taro 
Shigenaga,  who  built  a  castle  in  the  wilderness 
on  the  banks  of  the  bay  in  1456;  but  the  name 
was  changed  after  the  fall  of  the  shogun  in 
1868,  when  the  Mikado  came  there  and  took  up 
his  abode  in  the  old  palace.  The  meaning  of  the 
term  Tokyo  is  "  eastern  capital,"  which  has  come 
into  common  use  to  distinguish  it  from  Kyoto, 
which  means  "western  capital."  It  stands  at  the 
head  of  Yedo  Bay,  about  eighteen  miles  above 
Yokohama  and  thirty  miles  from  the  ocean. 

At  the  time  the  fortress  was  built  in  the  mid- 
dle ages,  most  of  the  ground  was  occupied  by 
lagoons,  which  have  been  dredged  out  and 
banked  up  with  walls  of  stone,  and  form  a  sys- 
tem of  canals  which  are  very  convenient  for  local 
transportation  and  are  navigated  by  thousands 
of  sampans — long,  sharp-nosed  boats  propelled 
by  one  or  two  oars  from  the  stern,  after  the  man- 
ner of  sculling.  The  military  advantages  of  the 
"5 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 


place  were  recognized  by  the  great  leyasu,  who 
was  the  actual  founder  of  the  city. 


f  TEere  is  an  interesting  story  in  Japanese  his- 
tory which  accounts  for  the  exclusive  policy 
adopted  by  the  successors  of  the  great  shogun. 
It  is  said  that  a  Jesuit  priest  once  remarked  to  a 
Japanese  noble  with  whom  he  was  having  a  con- 
troversy: 

"  My  master  the  p_op_e  will  one  day  be  the 
sovereign  of  the  whole  world." 

"  How_can  that  be?"  was  asked. 

"  The  church  send!  out  missionaries  who  con- 
vert the  nations,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  when  all 
the  nations  are  converted  to  the  faith  of  Rome, 
the  pope  will  be  the  ruler  of  the  world. "_ 

This  boastful  remark  set  the  shogun  thinking 
when  it  came  to  his  ears,  and  recognizing  that 
a  million  or  more  of  his  subjects  had  already 
accepted  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  he  issued  an 
edict  expelling  the  Catholic  missionaries  from 
the  empire,  and  forbidding  the  iurther  worship 
of  theCKnstian  God^  All  Japanese  who  had 
joined  the  church  were  required  to  renounce  it 
or  suffer  the  penalty  of  banishment  or  death. 
^  Tin  the  liarbor  of  Nagasaki,  at  the"  extrelne" 
west  of  the  empire  across  the  Yellow  sea  from 
China,  is  a  rock  called  Tokaboko,  or  Pappenberg, 
rising  out  of  the  ocean  almost  perpendicularly 
to  the  height  of  200  feet.  On  the  lanp^  side  is  a 
flight  of  stairs  hewn  in  the  solid  rock.  In  1620, 
116 


The  Tycoon  in  Seclusion 

only  two  weeks  a  ttpr  iJb.p  pilgrims  landed  at  Ply- 
mouth, "i^oooCatholicjconverts  were  driven  up 
those  stairs,  and  when  they  reached  the  top  of 
the  rock_  were  given  "their"  option  between  re- 
nouncing Christianity  or  plunging  into  the  sea 
below.  Between  2,000  and  3,000  recanted  Imd 
were  allowed  to  return  to  their  homes.  The  rest,  -  -^  "j  0 
I  with  the  spirit  of  the  early  martyrs,  remained  \  t 

steadfast  to  the  faith  and  were  driven  off  the 
e(Tge"of  the  precipice  at  the  point  of  the  spears 


I 


ofthe  tycoon's  soldiers 

Much  of  the  area  of  Tokyo  is  occupied  by 
parks  and  temple  grounds  and  the  palace  of  the 
Mikado,  which  stands  in  the  center  of  the  city 
surrounded  by  a  serpentine  moat.  The  grounds 
of  the  palace  have  been  much  reduced  in  later 
years,  but  still  cover  twenty-six  acres  upon  a 
noble  hill,  which  is  enclosed  in  massive  walls  and 
can  be  reached  only  by  two  bridges.  No  one  is 
allowed  to  enter  the  gates  except^  theTjiigner 
officials  of  the  government  and  those  who  are 
invited  byThe  emperor.  The  latter  EeaT  passes 
issued  ByTKe  minister  of  the  household,  and  it 
is  impossible  for  tourists  to  obtain  them,  because 
the  emperor  insists  upon  preserving  his  privacy, 
and  if  one  person  were  favored  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  admit  hundreds  every  week. 

Very  few  of  the  people  of  Tokyo  have  ever 
been  inside  the  castle  gates.  A  prominent  mem- 
ber of  parliament  and  an  active  supporter  of  the 
117 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

present  government,  who  was  born  in  Tokyo  and 
has  spent  his  whole  life  there,  told  me  he  had 
never  entered  the  grounds  but  once,  and  that 
was  on  the  occasion  of  a  garden  party  given  to 
celebrate  the  birthday  of  the  emperor.  Very 
few  persons  who  have  not  held  high  official  posi- 
tions have  ever  had  a  similar  privilege. 

When  the  shogun  reigned  he  required  all 
the  feudal  lords  to  spend  six  months  of  each 
year  at  the  capital,  and  retained  their  families  as 
hostages  while  they  were  absent.  Each  had  his 
castle  and  barracks  for  his  retainers,  and  at  times 
the  number  of  persons  living  within  the  enclos- 
ure exceeded  250,000. 

But  the  castles  of  the  daimyos  have  all  been 
torn  down,  and  the  area  they  occupied  is  now 
devoted  to  public  buildings,  parks  and  parade 
grounds,  which  have  to  be  crossed  in  passing 
from  one  portion  of  the  city  to  another.  There- 
fore, the  distances  are  very  great,  and,  as  there  is 
no  division  of  the  different  classes  of  business, 
much  time  is  spent  in  jinnrikishas  or  carriages 
driving  back  and  forth. 

The  houses  are  nearly  all  wood,  seldom  more 
than  two  stories  in  height  and  the  most  of  them 
are  of  a  single  story.  They  are  very  inflamma- 
ble, and,  as  candles  and  kerosene  are  the  chief 
means  of  light,  fires  are  frequent.  Like  Con- 
stantinople, it  is  said  that  Tokyo  is  entirely 
burned  over  once  in  five  years.  But  this  is  an 
118 


The  Tycoon  in  Seclusion 

exaggeration.  There  are  fire  engine  houses  at 
frequent  intervals  with  steam  engines  of  English 
manufacture,  and  tall  towers  rise  above  them  in 
which  watchmen  are  always  looking  out  for  smoke 
and  flames.  When  they  see  signs  of  a  fire  they 
pound  a  large  bell,  and  the  fire  department  starts 
for  the  scene  of  the  conflagration  almost  as 
promptly  as  ours  at  home.  One  of  the  assistant 
chiefs  of  the  department  told  me  that  they  were 
usually  able  to  get  up  steam  in  three  minutes, 
and  that  they  had  an  average  of  eighty  fires  a 
month.  But  there  is  very  little  to  burn  in  the 
ordinary  Japanese  house — simply  the  walls  and 
the  floor  and  the  roof,  for  the  partitions  are  only 
sliding  screens,  and  there  is  no  furniture  except 
a  few  little  low  tables,  cushions  and  mats. 

Insurance  premiums  are  high.  On  city  prop- 
erty the  usual  rate  is  2  per  cent.  There  are 
some  local  insurance  companies,  but  most  of  the 
business  is  done  by  native  agents  of  European 
companies — English,  German,  French  and 
Swiss.  No  United  States  insurance  companies 
have  offices  in  Japan,  although  I  think  it  would 
be  very  profitable  to  open  one.  While  the  risk 
is  greater  than  in  our  own  country,  where  the 
buildings  are  less  combustible,  the  local  com- 
panies pay  large  dividends — 16,  18  and  often 
as  high  as  25  per  cent. —  and  I  suppose  that  for- 
eign companies  make  an  equal  profit.  A  gentle- 
man in  Yokohama  who  represents  a  German 
119 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

insurance  company  told  me  that  his  receipts 
from  premium's  were  about  seven  times  as  great 
as  the  losses  paid. 

Life  insurance  is  not  popular  in  Japan,  which 
seems  to  be  accounted  for  by  a  custom  of  the 
country  which  requires  relatives  to  look  after  the 
families  oj^  the  dead.  For  the  same  reasons 
there  are  no  orphan  asylums.  There  are  plenty 
of  hospitals  for  the  sick  and  institutions  for  the 
education  of  the  blind,  the  deaf  and  dumb  and 
others  afflicted  in  a  similar  manner,  but  when  a 
man  dies  his  widow  goes  back  to  the  home  of 
her  parents_or_to_that  of  her  eldest  brother  and 
the  children  are  divided  aroundT  If  there  is 
any  property  each  has  his  share  by  division 
under  the  will,  if  there  happens  to  be  one,  or 
by  arbitration  conducted  after  a  novel  plan. 
The  father  or  the  eldest  brother  becomes  a 
trustee  to  manage  the  business  or  the  property 
of  the  deceased  for  the  benefit  of  his  heirs  until 
the  eldest  son  is  able  to  take  charge.  If  there 
is  no  property  the  children  are  adopted  into  the 
families  of  relatives.  There  are  no  almshouses 
or  homes  for  the  indigent  and^  beggars  except 
priests  are  not  often  seen  upon  the  streets.  It 
costs  but  little  for  food,  and  no  familyTsTso  poor 
that  it  cannot  add  another  to  the  household,  and 
the  industry  of  the  people  is  such  that  labor 
begins  almost  with  birth  and  ends  only  with 
death."~ 

120 


The  Tycoon  in  Seclusion 

Each  family  has  a  chest  made  of  hardwood, 
in  which  they  keep  their  valuables  and  extra 
clothing,  and  it  can  be  carried  into  the  street 
in  a  moment  whenever  danger  threatens.  These 
chests  are  marvels  of  cabinetmaking.  No  nails 
or  screws  or  iron  of  any  kind  are  used  in  their 
construction  except  hinges  and  locks  and  bands 
to  make  them  more  secure,  but  the  joints  are 
mortised  so  skillfully  that  when  closed  they  are 
water-tight  and  will  float  for  hours  in  a  river 
without  the  slightest  injury  to  their  contents. 

Wealthier  families,  who  have  many  valuables 
—  fine  silks,  brocades,  pictures,  porcelain,  cloi- 
sonn£  and  other  ornaments  —  always  have  what 
they  call  a  "  kura,"  a  fireproof  vault  erected  of 
solid  masonry  in  the  back  yard,  with  heavy 
doors  and  shutters.  The  roof  is  of  tiles  and 
there  is  nothing  about  it  that  can  burn.  When- 
ever they  want  a  change  of  clothing  they  go  to 
the  kura  instead  of  a  closet  or  a  wardrobe.  It  is 
the  custom  of  Japanese  families,  even  the  richest 
of  them,  to  keep  only  one  or  two  ornaments  dis- 
played for  their  own  enjoyment  and  that  of  their 
visitors.  The  remainder  of  their  works  of  art 
and  bric-a-brac  is  stored  away  in  the  kura^  and 
taken  out  piece  by  piece  at  intervals  of  a  few 
days  to  replace  those  that  have  been  in  service. 

The  most  precious  heirlooms  in  every  Japan- 
ese household  are  the  swords  that  belonged  to 
the  ancestors  of  the  family.  In  olden  times 
121 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

every  man  was  expected  to  have  as  many  swords 
as  he  had  garments,  with  a  variety  of  sizes  and 
makes,  as  well  as  blades,  and  when  you  visit  one 
of  the  old  families  to-day  they  invariably  exhibit 
for  your  admiration  the  weapons  their  ancestors 
wore. 

A  Japanese  gentleman  remarked  that  he 
thought  the  American  and  European  plan  of 
covering  the  walls  of  houses  with  pictures 
and  other  decorations  was  vulgar,  for  no  man  of 
taste  could  enjoy  more  than  one  work  of  art  at 
/  a  time.  The  Japanese,  he  said,  enjoyed  their" 

/    treasures  more  than  other  people  because  they 
did   not   make  them   common,   and  never  de- 

l  stL°ye(*  tkeir  novelty  by  frequent  inspection. 
When  you  visit  a  rich  Japanese  he  will  send  to 
the  kura  and  have  his  choicest  gems  displayed 
for  your  inspection.  They  are  usually  inclosed 
in  the  daintiest  of  boxes  and  wrapped  in  cere- 
ments of  cotton  or  silk.  His  pictures  are  hung 
on  rolls  called  kakemonos.  They  are  never 
framed  under  glass  as  ours  are.  The  swords  his 
ancestors  wore  in  feudal  times  are  incased  in 
bags  of  wool  or  silk,  and  are  brought  out  with 
the  greatest  degree  of  reverence ;  and  before  he 
puts  them  away  the  servants  bathe  them  with  oil 
of  cloves  and  sprinkle  them  with  powder  of 
pumice  stone  to  preserve  the  brilliancy  of  the 
blades.  Bronzes  and  lacquer  work  are  polished 
at  frequent  intervals,  and  much  greater  care  is 
122 


The  Tycoon  in  Seclusion 

taken  of  these  ornaments  than  the  most  careful 
housewife  in  New  England  bestows  upon  her 
"  best  room."  But  labor  is  cheap  and  time  is  of 
little  value.  You  can  hire  a  housemaid  for  four 
or  five  yen  a  month,  which  is  equivalent  to  two 
dollars  or  two  and  one-half  dollars  of  our 
money,  so  that  a  dozen  Japanese  servants  can 
be  employed  for  the  same  wages  that  are  paid 
a  first-class  cook  or  a  butler  in  the  United  States. 
The  servants  in  a  well-ordered  household  are 
the  most  deferential  of  beings.  Every  time  they 
bring  you  a  cup  of  tea  or  come  to  remove  a  dish 
at  dinner  or  breakfast  they  will  kneel  and  bow 
until  their  foreheads  touch  the  floor.  Nor  will 
any  of  them  accept  a  fee.  One  night  as  we 
were  leaving  the  residence  of  a  Japanese  gentle- 
man where  we  had  been  taking  dinner,  one  of 
his  servants  piloted  us  through  the  grounds  to 
the  gate  where  our  carriage  was  waiting,  and  I 
attempted  to  give  him  a  small  coin.  When  I 
offered  it,  he  clasped  his  hands  together  and 
made  a  very  low  bow,  keeping  his  head  down 
until  the  carriage  started. 


123 


Some  Suggestions  about  Shopping 

The  shops  of  Japan  are  as  enticing  as  those 
of  Paris  and  the  money  of  the  tourist  slips  away 
from  him  faster  than  he  is  aware  of.  Although 
prices  are  very  low  for  everything  except  im- 
ported merchandise,  one  scarcely  realizes  what 
inroads  he  makes  on  his  letter  of  credit  until  he 
comes  to  figure  up  how  much  he  is  going  to 
need  to  get  home. 

The  fall  of  silver  has  made  no  difference  in 
the  cost  of  labor  or  materials,  but  imported 
goods  are  about  twice  as  high  as  they  used  to  be. 
For  example,  one  could  formerly  get  an  evening 
suit  of  the  best  English  diagonal  goods  for  30 
yen,  when  that  sum  represented  about  $25  in  gold, 
but  now  you  have  to  pay  40  yen  or  45,  which 
represents  about  the  same  value.  There  is  no 
difference  in  the  cost  of  making,  but  the  price  of 
the  material  has  doubled  with  the  depreciation 
of  silver.  You  can  have  a  first-class  English 
suit  made  to  order  for  $15  or  $i  8  in  gold  that 
would  cost  you  $50  or  $60  in  the  United  States. 
You  can  buy  a  pair  of  trousers  for  $3  or  $4  such 
as  you  would  pay  $10  or  $12  for  in  New  York 
124 


Some  Suggestions  about  Shopping 

or  Chicago.  The  difference  is  in  the  low  price 
of  labor  and  the  small  profit  with  which  the 
merchants  are  satisfied.  Tailors  are  paid  from 
12  to  20  sen  a  day,  which  is  equivalent  to  6  and 
10  cents  in  our  money,  and  if  a  clothing  mer- 
chant makes  a  net  profit  of  50  or  75  cents  on  a 
suit  of  clothes  he  is  well  contented. 

The  Japanese  are  good  tailors,  but  the  Chi- 
nese are  better,  and,  therefore,  have  the  larger 
portion  of  the  business.  There  are  one  or  two 
English  tailors  in  Yokohama,  who  charge  higher 
prices  and  are  said  to  be  more  reliable,  but  they 
do  not  do  any  better  work.  The  Chinamen  are 
excellent  fitters  and  will  make  a  suit  just  the  way 
you  want  it  if  you  will  be  patient  in  explaining 
the  details.  You  can  take  them  an  old  suit  of 
clothes  and  they  will  duplicate  it  exactly  so  far 
as  the  cut  and  the  fit  are  concerned. 

The  same  is  true  of  women's  clothing.  The 
Chinese  and  Japanese  tailors  will  make  a  cloth 
suit  of  the  best  English  material  for  $30  or  $40 
that  would  cost  $150  in  New  York  and  $75  or 
$80  in  London.  The  prices  for  all  sorts  of 
English  clothing  are  about  30  per  cent,  less  than 
in  London  or  Paris.  If  you  give  a  Chinese  tailor 
a  London  or  New  York  tailor-made  dress  he 
will  duplicate  it  as  accurately  as  he  does  a  pair 
of  trousers. 

Ordinary  underclothing  is  quite  as  high  as  it 
is  in  New  York,  for  they  are  just  beginning  to 
125 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

make  it  in  Japan.  There  is  a  factory  in  Tokyo 
where  you  can  have  silk  undergarments  woven 
to  your  measure  for  about  half  the  London 
prices.  A  suit  of  very  light  gauze  of  pure  silk 
costs  8  yen,  or  $4  gold.  A  suit  of  very  heavy 
pure  silk  will  cost  20  yen,  or  $10.  You  would 
pay  $12  and  $20  for  the  same  things  in  London. 
The  difference  is  in  the  weight  of  the  silk  used. 
They  charge  you  so  much  a  pound  for  it  and  so 
much  for  the  labor  of  knitting.  The  same  com- 
pany will  make  gentlemen's  hose  of  the  best 
Japanese  silk  for  from  50  to  75  cents  gold, 
according  to  the  weight  of  silk  in  them.  The 
same  quality  of  ladies'  hose  costs  about  twice  as 
much,  but  the  price  of  everything  of  this  kind 
depends  upon  the  weight  of  silk  consumed. 

When  I  called  at  the  knitting  factory  they 
showed  me  some  underclothes  of  both  silk  and 
wool  they  were  making  for  the  empress.  Very  few 
of  the  ladies  of  the  court  wear  underclothing  of 
foreign  fashion — usually  those  who  have  been 
educated  abroad.  There  are  three  or  four 
Vassar  girls  in  the  circle  that  surrounds  the  em- 
press, and  several  others  were  educated  in  the 
New  England  colleges  for  women.  While  the 
young  men  of  Japan  have  been  sent  to  Ger- 
many, France,  England  and  Switzerland  to 
study  modern  life  and  methods,  nearly  all  of  the 
girls  that  sought  foreign  education  went  to  the 
United  States. 

126 


Some  Suggestions  about  Shopping 

I  hope  that  it  is  not  improper  to  mention 
that  the  underclothes  of  the  Empress  of  Japan 
would  be  called  "misses'  sizes"  by  the  tradesmen 
of  the  United  States,  for  she  is  a  tiny  little  crea- 
ture, but  her  waist  is  ample  and  measures  thirty- 
two  inches. 

Most  of  the  hosiery  and  underwear  knitted  in 
Japan  is  made  in  this  one  shop,  with  German 
machinery,  operated  by  women  and  young 
girls  whose  wages  average  n  cents  a  day 
in  our  money.  This  is  higher  than  the  ordinary 
factory  operatives  receive  in  Japan.  Most  of 
them  have  to  be  satisfied  with  less  than  10  cents. 
At  Osaka  I  saw  a  great  cotton  factory  filled  with 
women  of  all  ages  tending  spindles  and  looms, 
and  showing  marvelous  dexterity,  not  one  of 
whom  received  more  than  nine  cents  a  day 
(gold)  for  twelve  hours'  work.  They  begin  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  work  till  six  at 
night,  with  an  intermission  of  half  an  hour  at 
nine,  twelve  and  three  o'clock.  And  the  wages 
of  the  superintendent  of  the  mill  were  only 
twenty  dollars  a  month,  the  same  salary  that  is 
paid  the  pastor  of  the  native  Presbyterian  church 
in  that  city. 

The  wages  of  seamstresses  are  even  lower, 
and  it  seems  almost  wicked  to  accept  the  work 
they  are  so  poorly  paid  for.  I  had  a  silk  kimono 
made  in  Kyoto,  a  garment  like  the  toga  of  a 
Roman  senator  or  the  gown  of  a  justice  of  the 
127 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

supreme  court,  which  all  Japanese  wear.  The 
silk  cost  three  dollars  and  forty  cents  gold,  and 
the  merchant  charged  me  fifteen  sen  or  seven 
and  a  half  cents  for  the  making.  I  suppose  it 
was  an  all  day's  job  for  some  seamstress,  and  the 
merchant  must  have  added  a  commission  for 
himself,  or  a  "squeeze,"  as  they  appropriately 
call  it  here. 

The  women  who  make  the  beautiful  em- 
broideries that  are  exported  from  Japan  and  the 
men  who  paint  the  cr£pe  goods  so  artistically 
receive  no  higher  pay.  They  work  twelve  hours 
a  day  year  after  year  with  a  skill  and  a  taste  sur- 
passed by  no  people  on  earth  except  the  Chinese, 
perhaps,  and  their  pay  does  not  equal  the 
amount  that  my  lady  in  England  and  America 
spends  for  the  comfort  of  her  lapdog. 

I  was  looking  around  one  day  for  an  artist  to 
paint  me  a  picture  of  Diabutsu,  the  impressive 
bronze  idol  of  Buddha  that  rears  its  head  above 
the  forest  trees  down  on  the  southern  coast,  and 
asked  an  art  dealer  what  I  ought  to  pay  for 
a  watercolor  about  thirty-six  by  twenty-four 
inches  in  size. 

"  Don't  let  them  gouge  you  out  of  more  than 
five  yen  "  (two  and  a  half  dollars),  he  replied. 

"But  I  want  a  good  picture." 

"The  best  native  artist  in  Japan  would  be 
glad  to  paint  it  for  that  money,"  was  his  answer. 

The  embroideries  of  Japan  are  the  most  at- 
128 


Some  Suggestions  about  Shopping 

tractive  things  in  the  shops,  although  the  silks  are 
alluring.  The  delicate  shades  of  color  and  the 
exquisite  designs  that  are  most  popular  in  the 
local  trade  are  seldom  shipped  to  foreign  mar- 
kets, because  the  artists  and  weavers  are  conserv- 
ative and  stubborn  and  will  not  make  them  of 
a  width  suitable  for  modern  dress  goods.  The 
silks  used  in  making  the  beautiful  kimonos  and 
obis  worn  by  the  women — like  those  you  see  in 
Japanese  pictures — are  narrow,  often  less  than 
twelve  inches  wide,  and  the  most  artistic  and 
skillful  weavers  will  not  change  their  looms  or 
their  habits.  Therefore  the  best  silk  fabrics  of 
Japan  are  not  shipped  abroad.  But  by  using  a 
little  moral  suasion  and  paying  a  little  more  you 
can  have  any  one  of  these  designs  reproduced  of 
a  width  and  length  to  suit  you. 

The  obis — the  sashes  which  the  women  wear 
— are  the  most  beautiful  fabrics  woven  in  Japan. 
A  Japanese  belle  regards  her  obi  as  an  American 
woman  does  her  diamonds,  and  although  her 
wardrobe  costs  very  little  compared  with  that  of 
her  sister  across  the  sea,  two-thirds  of  its  value 
will  be  invested  in  her  obi.  These  precious  bro- 
cades absorb  the  most  artistic  patterns  that  the 
designers  of  Japan  produce.  They  are  as  thick 
as  leather  and  as  soft  as  crgpe.  It  is  amazing 
how  the  weavers  can  produce  a  combination  of 
gold  thread  and  silks  that  glistens  like  metal  but 
is  as  pliable  as  gauze.  The  obi  usually  comes 
129 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

four  yards  and  a  half  long  and  nine  inches  wide, 
and  you  can  buy  them  at  any  price  between  $3 
and  $300.  It  is  said  that  some  of  those  in  the 
wardrobes  of  the  women  of  the  upper  cult  in  the 
old  feudal  times  carried  as  much  as  $500  worth 
of  pure  gold  in  their  threads. 

The  rarest  and  most  beautiful  obis  are  now 
obtained  of  dealers  in  second-hand  goods  and  in 
the  curio  shops,  where  they  have  drifted  from 
the  kuras  (fire-proof  wardrobes)  of  the  aristocra- 
cy and  the  geishas  (dancing  girls)  who  have  be- 
come impoverished.  The  best  places  to  buy 
them  are  the  cities  of  the  interior.  The  same 
is  true  of  all  old  brocades  and  embroideries. 
You  pay  three  times  as  much  for  similar  articles 
in  Yokohama  where  foreign  buyers  are  numer- 
ous and  put  up  prices,  as  in  Kyoto  or  in  Nagoya, 
and  ten  times  as  much  in  London  or  New  York. 
The  obi  is  useless,  however,  except  as  an  orna- 
ment. Its  colors  are  too  gay  for  modern  taste, 
and  it  is  too  short  and  narrow. 

The  price  of  embroideries  in  Japan  has  in- 
creased rapidly  with  the  number  of  tourists, 
and  those  portions  of  the  country  which  lie 
within  the  beaten  track  of  travel  are  pretty  well 
stripped  of  fine  examples.  The  art  dealers  have 
the  best  that  are  left  and  charge  fancy  prices  for 
them.  But  if  you  can  make  the  acquaintance  of 
a  missionary  who  is  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the 
towns  of  the  interior,  or  a  tea  or  silk  buyer,  he 
130 


Some  Suggestions  about  Shopping 

will  take  you  to  places  where  gems  of  art  em- 
broidery may  be  found  at  prices  that  are  almost 
incredible.  Curtains  such  as  were  used  centuries 
ago  in  the  palaces  of  the  daimyos  or  in  the 
Shinto  and  Buddhist  temples,  masses  of  silk 
and  gold  as  thick  as  an  Axminster  carpet  and 
large  enough  for  a  portiere  or  a  bedspread, 
which  represent  years  of  labor  and  the  most  ar- 
tistic skill,  can  be  bought  for  50  or  60  yen,  or 
half  that  value  in  our  money.  Friezes  of  the 
choicest  brocades,  heavy  with  gold  and  silken 
figures,  two  feet  wide  and  twenty  feet  long,  rep- 
resenting in  their  designs  historical  and  mytho- 
logical scenes,  can  be  had  for  25  or  30 yen;  and 
smaller  pieces,  such  as  will  answer  for  upholster- 
ing chairs  or  for  tablespreads,  or  sofa  pillows,  you 
can  buy  for  $2  or  $3  each.  When  such  things 
get  to  New  York  they  cost  a  great  deal  of  mon- 
ey, and  the  wonder  is  why  some  enterprising 
merchant  does  not  invade  the  interior  of  Japan 
and  pick  up  a  large  stock  of  them. 

The  figures  you  see  on  Japanese  embroideries 
and  other  works  of  art  are: 

i.  The  kirin,  which  represents  the  noblest 
form  of  animal  creation.  It  is  an  emblem  of 
perfect  good,  and  holds  as  prominent  a  place  in 
the  religion  and  arts  of  China  and  Korea  as  in 
Japan.  It  has  the  body  of  a  deer,  the  tail  of  an 
ox  and  a  single  horn.  It  lives  a  thousand  years, 
and  is  a  messenger  of  mercy  and  good  fortune. 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

2.  The  feng-hwang,  or  ho-wo,  or  phoenix,  is 
the  emblem  of  virtue  in  the  household  and  gov- 
ernment, and  the  incarnation  of  the  spirits  that 
control  and  influence  good  behavior.  It  has 
the  head  of  a  pheasant,  the  beak  of  a  swallow 
and  the  tail  of  a  bird-of-paradise.  Its  feathers 
are  of  the  most  gorgeous  plumage,  representing 
the  five  colors,  which  are  emblematic  of  the  car- 
dinal virtues — honesty,  obedience,  justice,  fidel- 
ity and  benevolence. 

3.  The  kwei  or  tortoise  is  the    emblem    of 
longevity,  the  god  of  the  waters.     It  has  the 
power  of  transformation  and  can  turn  itself  into 
any  other  kind  of  beast  or  fish.     It  regulates  the 
weather. 

4.  The  lumg  or  dragon  also  has  the  power  of 
transformation,  can  make  itself  visible  or  invisi- 
ble at  will,  can  reduce  itself  to  the  size  of  a  silk 
worm  or  swell  out  large  enough  to  fill  the  whole 
earth.     It  is  the  embodiment  of  force ;  guards 
the  gates  of  heaven  and  can  give  or  withhold 
prosperity. 

5.  The  mitsu  tomoye  is  a  sort  of  monogram, 
in  a  circle,  usually  in  three  colors,  and  is  found 
at  the  end  of  all  the  tiles  and  ridgepoles  on  the 
housetops  of  Japan,  upon  lanterns,  the  heads  of 
all  the  drums,  the  signs  of  business  houses,  and 
is  commonly  used  in  all  forms  of  decoration 
in  temples,  palaces,  shops  and  homes.  The 
three  segments  which  curl  up  together  to  com- 
132 


Some  Suggestions  about  Shopping 

pose  the  circle  have  a  deep  philosophical  mean- 
ing, and  represent  the  trinity  of  elements — 
earth,  water  and  air — which  combined  to  form 
the  origin  of  matter  and  are  necessary  for  the 
existence  of  mankind.  It  is  introduced  in  the 
crests  of  no  less  than  eight  of  the  ancient  princes, 
and  appears  upon  the  flag  of  Korea. 

6.  The  manji   is  the  Buddhist  cross,   which 
was  brought  from  India  2,000  years  ago,  but  it 
appears  in  the  frescoes  of  the  pyramids  of  Egypt, 
in  the  palaces  of  Pompeii,  in  the  catacombs  of 
Rome,  in  the  Etruscan  tombs,  in  the  arts  of  an- 
cient Greece,  in  the  religious  embroideries  and 
missals  of  mediaeval  Europe,  in  old  English  her- 
aldry, and  is  known  in  Norway  as  Thor's  ham- 
mer.    You  find  it  everywhere  in  Buddhist  tem- 
ples, as  common  as  the  cross  in   Christian  art 
and  architecture,  and  its  name  "manji"   is  a 
Chinese   term   that   signifies    "ten   thousand;" 
probably  because  it  is  a  talisman  against  that 
number  of  evil  spirits.     You  find  it  everywhere, 
quite   as    common   as   the    mitsu    tomoye,  on 
armor,    weapons,  fans,    flags,  lanterns,  banners 
and  crests. 

7.  The  cock  is  the  emblem  of  peace,  and  the 
tiger  of  war.     There  is  a  drum  shaped  like  a 
barrel  at  the  entrance  of  every  temple,  which 
people  beat  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  gods, 
and  that  appears  frequently  in  decorative  art. 

Besides  these  there  is  a  whole  menagerie  of 
133 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

mythical  monsters  in  the  demonology  of  Japan 
which  are  drawn  upon  for  decorative  purposes. 

The  peony  is  the  sign  of  perfection.  The 
sixteen-petal  chrysanthemum  is  the  crest  of  the 
emperor,  and  cannot  be  used  by  his  subjects  ex- 
cept upon  articles  intended  for  him  or  for  official 
purposes. 

A  kami  is  any  kind  of  a  god  or  supernatural 
power,  supposed  to  abide  in  forests;  and  the 
people  hang  votive  offerings  to  them  upon  the 
limbs  of  trees,  writing  prayers  and  poems  of 
praise  upon  pieces  of  paper  and  twisting  them 
about  the  twigs.  They  are  the  especial  patrons 
of  the  agricultural  classes.  Farmers  worship 
them  in  the  seasons  of  planting  and  harvesting 
so  as  to  secure  favorable  results,  and  women 
make  offerings  to  secure  their  good-will  before 
undertaking  any  kind  of  household  employ- 
ment. There  are  little  shrines  dedicated  to 
their  honor  along  all  the  highways  of  Japan  and 
the  common  people  never  pass  them  without 
offering  a  prayer. 

The  Japanese  are  great  methodists  —  they 
follow  forms.  If  they  have  precedents  or  ex- 
perience of  their  own  or  other  people  that  apply 
to  matters  of  present  importance  they  are  all 
right,  but  if  a  new  point  comes  up  they  are  not 
equal  to  it  and  are  puzzled  as  to  the  proper 
course  to  pursue.  They  have  small  power  of 
originality  and  analysis.  Their  memory  has 
134 


Some  Suggestions  about  Shopping 

been  abnormally  developed  at  the  sacrifice  of 
the  reasoning  power.  For  ages  they  have 
studied  the  proverbs  of  the  sages  and  apply 
them  to  every  incident  of  life  until  the  practice 
has  become  hereditary. 

They  habitually  accept  facts  as  facts  without 
inquiring  into  the  causes  or  the  consequences, 
or,  as  Mr.  Masujima,  one  of  the  greatest  lawyers 
of  the  country,  once  told  his  students,  "  You 
are  always  asking  what,  and  not  why!"  To 
accept  whatever  exists  and  believe  that  whatever 
is,  is  right,  is  the  national  tendency,  without  in- 
quiry into  the  reasons.  It  is  the  result  of  the 
teachings  of  their  religion. 

If  a  Japanese  meets  misfortune  or  death  he 
submits  without  a  murmur.  "  Shi-kata-ga-nai " 
is  the  word,  which  means  literally,  "  It  can  't  be 
helped,"  and  is  equivalent  to  the  old  proverb 
that  teaches  that  there  is  no  use  crying  over 
spilled  milk. 

This  fatalism  permeates  every  profession  and 
every  branch  of  society,  from  the  coolie  to  the 
emperor,  and  is  the  heritage  of  2,500  years. 
But  it  is  being  gradually  modified  by  the  study 
of  mathematics  and  philosophy  and  the  adop- 
tion of  foreign  customs  and  ideas. 

The  Japanese  shops  are  uninviting  from  the 

exterior.      They    have   no   show-windows;    no 

counters.     Their  exteriors  are  blank  walls  and 

the  entrances  are  hidden  by  heavy  curtains  of 

135 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

black  or  dark-blue  cloth,  bearing  large  red  or 
white  letters  in  Japanese,  which  take  the  place 
of  signboards.  Two  or  three  feet  from  the  side- 
walk is  a  raised  platform  from  fifteen  or  eighteen 
inches  high,  and  around  it  a  curious  assortment 
of  wooden  clogs  and  sandals,  for  a  native  cus- 
tomer always  leaves  her  shoes  outside  when  she 
enters  a  shop.  And  when  she  is  buying  or  look- 
ing at  goods  she  sits  on  the  edge  of  this  plat- 
form or  squats  ungracefully  on  the  matting 
within. 

Foreign  buyers  are  allowed  to  enter  with 
their  shoes  on  and  three  or  four  chairs  are  usu- 
ally kept  for  their  accommodation.  The  goods 
are  not  spread  out  on  shelves  or  in  showcases, 
but  are  kept  in  boxes  and  chests  usually  wrapped 
in  yellow  cloth.  You  take  your  seat  in  a  chair, 
a  small  boy  brings  you  a  cup  of  tea,  and  you  tell 
the  merchant  what  you  want,  while  he  bows  him- 
self almost  double  several  times  to  express  his 
appreciation  of  your  patronage.  He  shouts  his 
orders  to  a  dozen  youngsters  in  what  seems  out- 
landish jargon,  but  they  understand  it  and  come 
rushing  in  from  some  back  room  or  "  go  down  " 
—  which  is  the  word  for  warehouse  —  with  bas- 
kets and  boxes  full  of  rolls  of  the  most  dainty 
fabrics.  There  is  usually  some  one  about  who 
speaks  a  little  English  and  he  is  sent  for.  The 
merchant  sits  down  on  the  floor,  unrolls  the 
goods  and  chatters  away,  while  his  chief  clerk 
136 


Some  Suggestions  about  Shopping 

pretends  to  explain  to  you  what  he  is  saying.  If 
he  cannot  show  exactly  what  you  want  he  will 
ask  the  honor  of  sending  it  to  your  hotel  and 
the  interpreter  will  usually  bring  it  the  next  day. 
There  is  no  limit  to  the  politeness  and  deference 
shown  by  the  Japanese  tradesman,  and  he  ex- 
presses the  highest  degree  of  respect  for  you 
when  he  sucks  his  teeth  with  a  hissing  sound. 

Prices  were  never  so  low  as  they  are  in  Japan 
at  present,  owing  to  the  depreciation  of  silver, 
and  one  may  buy  nearly  all  the  products  of  the 
country,  including  silks,  ceramics  and  works  of 
art,  for  just  about  half  of  what  they  cost  four  or 
five  years  ago.  This  remark,  however,  does  not 
apply  to  hotel  bills  and  the  general  incidental 
expenses  of  foreign  travelers.  As  silver  has 
gone  down  'hotel  bills  have  gone  up  in  a  cor- 
responding proportion — usually  a  little  more 
rapidly  —  and  everything  else  a  foreigner  has  to 
pay  for,  except  the  native  goods  he  purchases, 
has  kept  them  company. 


VI 

The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

The  Japanese  government  issues  an  admirable 
series  of  official  reports  each  year,  including 
commercial  statistics,  which  are  given  in  great  de- 
tail and  presented  in  an  attractive  and  conveni- 
ent manner,  both  in  the  French  and  English 
languages.  These  reports  equal  typographically 
any  similar  publications  in  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica, and  in  fact  contain  features  that  might  be 
imitated  by  the  older  nations,  particularly  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States. 

The  total  foreign  commerce  of  Japan  in  1894 
amounted  to  $115,414,020  in  American  gold, 
counting  the  yen  as  fifty  cents.  Of  this,  $27,- 
798, 240  was  handled  by  Japanese  merchants,  the 
balance  by  foreigners  residing  in  the  country. 

The  total  exports  were  $56,623,043,  of  which 
$5,225,489  were  shipped  by  native  merchants. 
The  total  imports  were  $58,790,977,  of  which 
$17,577,750  were  brought  into  the  country  by 
natives.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  native  mer- 
chants are  much  more  given  to  the  importation 
of  foreign  merchandise  than  to  the  shipment  of 
138 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

their  own  products.  In  1894  the  balance  of 
trade  against  Japan  was  $2, 117, 934,  which  was 
due  largely  to  the  increased  importations  of 
munitions  of  war.  During  the  same  year  the 
imports  of  silver  were  26,227,686  Mexican  dol- 
lars, and  9,000,000  came  from  the  United  States. 
The  following  table  shows  the  total  value  of 
merchandise  exported  to  and  imported  from 
Europe  and  the  United  States  during  the  ten 
years  from  1885  to  1894,  inclusive,  the  values 
being  given  in  Japanese  money : 


Country. 
Great  Britain     . 

Exported 
From  Japan. 
Yen. 

52,641,903.92 
134,  30  5,Il6.I4 

Imported 
by  Japan. 
Yen. 

236,415,892.72 
30,414,679.12 

Germany    .... 
Austria    
Belgium     .... 
Denmark        .... 
Holland     .... 
Italy    
Portugal    .... 
Russia    
Spain          .... 
Norway  and  Sweden    . 
Turkey       .... 
Switzerland  .... 

11,654,290.63 
2,833,242.60 
633,601.97 
5,586.50 
910,324.4,6 
9,054,55»-04 
3,073.10 
3,268,314.24 
87,612.84 
6,287.42 
95,101.90 
2,156,190.33 

51,732,417.08 
217,314.67 
7,440,052.41 
456,034.70 
430,107.92 
1,109,359.9? 
45,340.5» 
5,573,067.72 
272,751.82 

109,530.51 
25,225.00 
4,624,127.41 

Total  trade  with  Europe 
Total  with  the  United  States 

217,745,204.69 
264,417,237.97 

338,866,001.61 
57,960,908.99 

Grand  total 

482,162.442.66 

396,826,910.60 

A  comparison  of  the  trade  of  Japan  with 
the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  is  even 
more  startling.  The  following  are  the  totals  for 
the  last  ten  years  : 


139 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

Exported  Imported 

From  Japan.  by  Japan. 

Yen.  Yen. 

Great  Britain    .       .       .          52,641,903.92  236,415,892.72 

United  States       .        .       .     264,417,237.97  57,960.908.99 

Thus  in  ten  years  Japan  has  sold  the  United 
States  more  of  her  products  by  46,672,033  yen 
than  all  the  nations  of  Europe  combined,  and 
at  the  same  time  she  has  purchased  from  them 
more  than  281,000,000  yen  in  excess  of  her  im- 
ports from  the  United  States.  In  other  words 
she  has  been  dependent  upon  us  for  a  market 
for  her  staples,  which  are  silk  and  tea,  and  ought 
to  have  been  a  liberal  buyer  of  our  merchandise. 
We  have  the  friendship  of  the  government  and 
the  people.  Great  Britain  has  their  hostility  and 
their  trade. 

As  will  be  observed  in  the  explanations  given 
by  merchants  of  experience  in  other  chapters  of 
this  volume,  we  are  more  to  blame  for  this  com- 
mercial phenomenon  than  the  Japanese  them- 
selves. If  our  merchants  and  manufacturers  had 
shown  the  same  energy  and  patience  that  the 
British  merchants  have  shown  in  seeking  the 
trade  of  Japan,  the  balance  might  have  been  on 
the  other  side  of  the  ledger.  But  the  rule  in 
that  country  is  the  same  as  in  every  other  part 
of  the  world.  If  you  want  to  sell  goods  you 
must  seek  the  market.  The  mountain  does  not 
go  to  Mahomet  in  trade.  The  conditions  in 
Japan  are  precisely  like  those  in  China,  South 
America,  Mexico  and  the  West  Indies.  The 
140 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

manufacturers  of  Great  Britain,  Germany  and 
France,  particularly  those  of  the  first  named 
country,  went  to  the  treaty  ports,  Yokohoma, 
Kobe,  Nagasaki  and  other  places,  as  soon  as  we 
opened  Japan  to  foreign  trade,  and  camped  on 
the  ground.  They  established  agencies,  built 
warehouses,  founded  banks  and  took  possession 
of  the  markets.  They  found  out  what  goods 
were  wanted,  studied  the  peculiarities  and  re- 
quirements of  the  people,  and  furnished  what 
they  needed  in  such  a  form  and  style  as  suited 
their  taste.  A  few  Frenchmen  and  Germans 
followed,  and  representatives  of  other  nationali- 
ties in  smaller  numbers.  The  manufacturers  of 
America  took  no  interest  in  the  great  market 
that  was  being  developed  on  the  rich  little 
island,  because  they  had  so  much  to  do  at  home. 
It  was  no  lack  of  enterprise,  nor  is  it  a  reflection 
upon  the  ability  of  our  people  that  we  have  lit- 
tle foreign  trade.  The  home  market  has  been 
sufficient  to  absorb  all  our  attention,  but  now, 
when  our  power  of  production  has  been  multi- 
plied by  the  development  of  our  industries  and 
the  introduction  of  labor-saving  machinery,  and 
we  need  customers  to  take  our  surplus  off  our 
hands,  we  find  the  markets  of  Japan,  like  those 
of  China  and  the  Latin  American  countries, 
occupied  and  controlled  by  our  commercial 
rivals,  and  we  have  got  to  fight  for  the  plums 
that  fell  into  their  laps. 

141 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 


At  the  same  time  these  very  merchants  have 
been  shipping  the  products  of  Japan  to  us  because 
our  people  are  willing  to  pay  better  prices  for 
the  luxuries  of  life  than  those  of  any  other  nation. 

The  following  table  shows  the  growth  of  the 
foreign  trade  of  Japan  during  the  last  ten  years: 


1885 
1887 
1890 
1892 
1894 


EXPORTS. 

$18.573,345 
26,204,330 

28.301.753 
45,551,326 
56,623.043 


IMPORTS. 
$19,678,488 
22,152,125 
40,864,240 
35,663,039 
58,790,977 


The  following  table  shows  the  distribution  of 
the  exports  of  Japan  among  the  several  nations, 
arranged  according  to  the  magnitude  of  the 
trade  in  the  year  1894: 

1890. 
$9,901,768 


United  States 
France 
Hongkong 
China  •; 

Great  Britain 
British  India 
Germany 


1894. 

$21,661,778 

•     9,799,388 

8,049.740 

.    4,401,896 

2,975,098 

.    1,844,024 

758,774 


1892. 

#19,337,481 
9,046,847 
6,644,270 


2.960,976 
711,144 
470.391 


4,177,197 
4.683,203 

2,613,747 

2,319.490 

296,392 

423,461 


The  remainder  of  the  exports  of  Japan  are 
sent  in  small  amounts  to  nearly  every  nation  in 
the  world,  mostly  tea,  rice,  silk  and  curios. 

The  following  table  shows  the  sources  from 
which  the  imports  of  Japan  come,  arranged  ac- 
cording to  the  magnitude  of  the  trade  in  1894  : 


Great  Britain    . 
China     . 
United  States   . 
British  India 
I  longkong         . 
Germany 
France 

1894. 
.    $21,094,936 
8,750,753 
5,491,279 
.   5,280,224 
4,499,859 

•       •   3,059,271 
..      2,174,023 

1892. 
$10,394,666 
6,254,705 
2,994.026 
3,832,001 
3,492,761 

3-187,524 
1,810,250 

1890. 

£13,309,552 
4.424,882 
3,437,225 
4*455,001 
2,747,456 
3,428,479 
1,934.665 

142 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  United  States  has 
continued  to  take  a  very  large  portion  of  the 
exports  of  Japan,  but  has  furnished  a  very  small 
portion  of  the  imports  of  that  country,  while 
Great  Britain  enjoys  a  trade  that  is  exactly  the 
reverse.  In  other  words,  in  1894  we  sold 
Japan  $5,491,279  worth  of  goods  and  bought 
$21,661,788  of  her  products,  while  Great  Britain 
sold  her  $21,094,936  worth  of  merchandise,  and 
bought  only  $2,319,490  of  her  products.  That 
is  not  a  question  of  distance,  for  San  Francisco 
is  only  4,750  miles  from  Japan,  while  the 
nearest  British  port  is  11,600  miles. 

It  will  be  seen,  too,  that  the  growth  of  our 
export  trade  to  Japan  has  been  comparatively 
slow,  the  increase  having  been  but  $2,054,054 
during  the  last  four  years,  while  the  exports 
from  England  to  Japan  during  that  period  have 
jumped  $7,685,384.  In  the  same  time  our  im- 
ports from  Japan  have  increased  $11,760,010, 
while  England  purchased  last  year  only  $655,608 
more  than  she  did  four  years  ago. 

France  suffers  quite  as  much  as  we  do  in  the 
matter  of  trade.  Like  the  United  States  she  takes 
the  raw  silk  and  tea  of  the  Japanese,  while  Eng- 
land buys  little  and  sells  them  all  sorts  of  things. 
Much  of  the  trade  that  is  credited  to  Hongkong 
goes  to  Great  Britain,  being  transhipped  at  that 
city.  Great  Britain  gets  her  tea  from  China  and 
Formosa,  while  we  use  more  from  Japan. 
U3 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

The  nativq  merchants  carry  on  a  larger  trade 
with  Asia  than  with  any  other  continent,  leaving 
the  foreign  merchants  to  deal  with  the  United 
States  and  the  European  nations.  Their  busi- 
ness last  year  with  British  India  amounted  to 
§4,000,000;  with  China  $3,750,000;  with  Korea 
$2,500,000,  and  with  Hongkong  $1,500,000. 
Their  trade  with  Great  Britain  last  year  amounted 
to  $7,878,500,  and  with  the  United  States 
$5,219,000.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  too,  that  a 
large  proportion  of  the  foreign  trade  carried  on 
by  native  merchants  is  the  importation  of  manu- 
factured merchandise.  Of  their  trade  with 
Asia  $7,500,000  was  imports  and  $4,250,000  ex- 
ports; of  their  trade  with  England  $8,500,000 
was  imports  and  only  $1,000,000  exports,  while 
of  their  trade  with  the  United  States  $1,315,000 
was  imports  and  $4,008,000  exports.  The  chief 
exports  from  Japan  in  1894  were  as  follows: 

Raw  silk         ......  $21,446,375 

Textile  fabrics,  mostly  silks      .           .           .  8,807,743 

Food  products,  mostly  rice             .           .           .  5,416,090 

Tea 3.965.243 

Coal      .......  3,298,214 

Metals,  mostly  copper    ....  3,015,180 

Matches          ......  1,897,817 

Drugs  and  medicines     ....  1,230,811 

Floor  matting     .        .           .           .           .           .  987,746 

Porcelains            .....  742,426 

Fish  oil  and  vegetable  wax            .           .           .  639,095 

Laquer  ware         .....  398,769 

Umbrellas       ......  388,031 

Straw  plaiting     .           .           .           .           .  371,699 

Bamboo  and  wooden  ware  ....  289,498 

Tobacco               .....  274,137 

Fans 171,533 

Paper  and  stationery      ....  163,320 

144 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  10,277,401  fans  were 
shipped  from  Japan  that  year,  2,348,810  um- 
brellas, 134,209  screens,  455,659  paper  lanterns, 
13,843,022  gross  of  matches  and  66,223  lily 
bulbs. 

The  exports  of  silk  were  larger  than  ever  be- 
fore, although  it  is  scarcely  fair  to  compare  the 
figures  with  1893,  as  that  was  a  poor  year  all 
around.  There  has  recently  been  a  very  large 
increase  in  the  exportation  of  piece  goods,  and 
especially  cotton,  since  modern  machinery  was 
introduced  and  cotton  factories  erected.  In 
1892  the  number  of  pieces  of  cotton  goods  ex- 
ported was  623,039.  In  1894  the  total  was 
1,894,928,  In  1892  the  export  of  cotton  yarn 
were  valued  at  $3,859;  in  1894  $477,764.  Japan 
is  now  exporting  gloves,  hats  and  caps,  boots 
and  shoes,  stockings  and  fabrics  of  both  wool 
and  cotton  goods  of  every  variety. 

Camphor  is  the  largest  item  among  the  drugs, 
and  was  shipped  to  England  and  the  United 
States,  but  I  find  $143,070  worth  of  menthol 
crystals  and  $242,769  worth  of  peppermint  oil. 

Of  food  products  Japan  exports  wheat,  bar- 
ley, beans,  peas,  flour,  fish,  mushrooms,  potatoes, 
rye  and  salt,  and  the  records  show  $581,227 
worth  of  cuttlefish,  $313,575  of  edible  sea- weed 
and  $51,107  worth  of  sharks'  fins.  These  went 
to  China.  Beer  is  sent  to  the  Asiatic  countries 
near  by  and  the  Phillippine  islands ;  tobacco  to 
H5 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

China  and  Korea.  France  is  the  largest  buyer 
of  bronzes ;  bamboo  furniture  is  shipped  every- 
where ;  coal  to  China,  Hongkong,  British  India 
and  the  Philippine  islands ;  copper  to  China, 
Hongkong,  Great  Britain  and  Germany.  The 
United  States  takes  95  per  cent  of  the  hemp 
and  cotton  rugs  which  have  recently  come  into 
fashion,  and  the  demand  has  increased  so  much 
that  the  value  of  $80,000,  which  represented  the 
exports  in  1892,  had  been  increased  to  over 
$600,000  in  1894. 

The  increased  manufacture  of  cotton  goods 
in  Japan  is  beginning  to  have  an  effect  on  the 
British  market,  for  her  exports  are  already  con- 
siderable and  are  increasing  at  the  rate  of  sev- 
eral hundred  per  cent  each  year.  And,  sooner 
or  later,  the  cotton  manufacturers  of  the  United 
States  will  feel  the  competition,  because  the  large 
proportion  of  the  exports  are  piece  goods. 
British  India,  China  and  Hongkong  are  the 
largest  buyers,  but  a  considerable  amount  goes 
to  the  Hawaiian  islands,  Korea,  Australia  and 
eastern  Russia.  The  exports  of  cotton  yarn  to 
China  were  valued  at  more  than  $400,000.  One 
hundred  thousand  suits  of  cotton  underclothes 
were  sent  to  India,  China  and  Hongkong,  for 
Japan  is  not  only  making  her  own  knit  goods 
now,  but  is  soon  going  to  assist  the  United 
States  and  European  countries  in  furnishing  the 
world's  supply. 

146 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

We  are  the  largest  buyers  of  fans,  taking 
2,152,243;  England  next,  then  Italy,  France, 
China,  Germany,  Spain,  British  India  and  Aus- 
tria, in  the  order  named.  Considerable  flour 
was  sent  to  Siberia  and  Korea ;  the  furs  went  to 
England,  the  glass  and  iron  ware  to  China  and 
Korea,  and  it  is  curious  to  note  that  the  Japanese 
jinrikisha  is  being  introduced  into  the  neighbor- 
ing countries,  probably  for  the  accommodation 
of  foreigners.  India  took  1,950  of  these  admir- 
able vehicles  in  1894,  Hongkong  947,  China  38 
and  other  countries  72. 

Like  the  bamboo,  the  famous  lacquered  ware  of 
Japan  is  sent  everywhere,  Great  Britain,  France, 
Germany,  India,  Hongkong,  Australia,  Holland 
and  the  United  States  being  the  largest  buyers. 
Nearly  fourteen  million  gross  of  matches  are 
shipped  abroad  annually,  the  greater  part  going 
to  Hongkong,  China  and  British  India. 

The  United  States  takes  ninety-five  per  cent 
of  the  floor  matting  exported  and  nearly  half  the 
stationery.  Considerable  wall  paper  is  sent  to 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  Fancy 
goods  made  of  paper  go  everywhere,  and  screens 
are  furnished  to  nearly  all  of  the  nations  of  the 
earth. 

Crystal    menthol  goes  to   Germany,  France, 

Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  mushrooms 

to  Hongkong  and  China.     Germany  takes  half 

the  peppermint  oil.     The  remainder  is  divided 

147 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

between  England,  France  and  the  United  States. 
We  are  the  largest  buyers  of  porcelains,  taking 
about  one-third  of  the  whole  ;  Hongkong,  Great 
Britain,  France  and  India  the  remainder.  Salt, 
wheat  and  sake"  (the  native  brandy)  are  sent  to 
Korea  and  Siberia.  Most  of  the  plaited  straw 
goes  to  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  and 
the  umbrellas  and  toilet  soap  to  China,  Hong- 
kong and  India. 

The  United  States  is  the  largest  buyer  of  raw 
silk,  taking  nearly  one-half  of  the  whole  product. 
There  has  been  a  considerable  increase  of  late 
in  the  shipments  to  France,  which  is  the  second 
buyer.  Italy  and  Switzerland  also  are  taking 
raw  silk  from  Japan.  The  United  States  takes 
almost  two-thirds  of  the  silk  piece  goods.  France 
comes  second ;  those  two  countries  buy  seven- 
eighths  of  all  that  is  exported.  Great  Britain 
bought  less  than  $250,000  in  1894,  and  that  was 
a  very  large  increase  over  1892,  when  she  bought 
only  $39,000  worth. 

The  shipments  of  silk  handkerchiefs  in  1894 
amounted  to  1,435,674  dozen,  of  which  the 
United  States  took  834,746  dozen,  Great  Britain 
177,248  dozen,  and  France  139,337  dozen.  The 
rest  were  sent  to  the  four  corners  of  the  world. 

The  exports  of  tea  amounted  to  37,390,822 

catty,  a  catty  being  one  and  one-third  pounds. 

One  hundred  catty  make  a  picul — 133  pounds. 

The  United  States  takes  three-fourths  of  the  tea 

148 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

produced   in    Japan.     British    America    is   the 
second  buyer. 

The  following  table  shows  the  general  char- 
acter of  the  merchandise  imported  into  Japan 
and  the  value  of  each  class  of  goods  included  in 
her  imports  during  the  year  1894,  the  amount 
having  been  reduced  to  American  gold : 

Raw  cotton, $9,551,901 

Machinery, 7,974,542 

Sugar, 6,662,260 

Breadstuffs,  including  rice 5,877,068 

Cotton  yarn, 4,888,682 

Iron  and  steel, 4,589,384 

Woolen  goods, 3,991,440 

Cotton  fabrics, 2,888,266 

Oil  and  wax,  mostly  kerosene,        ....  2,845,996 

Drugs  and  medicines, 1,798,140 

Dyes  and  paints, 986,641 

Furs,  hides  and  leather, 904,034 

Provisions, 880,602 

Copper,  brass  and  lead, 876,973 

Books  and  stationery, 451,782 

Oilcakes, 411,097 

Hemp  and  jute, 403,961 

Other  textiles, 279,357 

Silk  goods, 261,492 

Wines  and  liquors, 251,672 

Glassware 183,883 

Clothing, I79,8il 

As  will  be  noticed,  raw  cotton  is  the  largest 
item  of  import  and  it  furnishes  an  illustration  of 
the  very  rapid  increase  in  the  manufacture  of 
textiles  in  Japan.  The  imports  of  cotton  have 
doubled  within  the  last  two  years,  but  only 
$1,340,000  was  sent  direct  from  the  United 
States.  The  balance  was  bought  through  com- 
mission houses  at  Liverpool  and  trans-shipped 
at  that  port. 

149 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

Great  Britain  furnished  ninety-nine  per  cent 
of  the  cotton  yarns  and  threads  and  nearly  all 
the  textiles  that  were  imported.  They  con- 
sisted of  cotton  drills,  shirtings,  sheetings,  lawns, 
prints,  satins,  handkerchiefs  and  velvets.  The 
second  item  of  importance,  machinery,  covers  a 
very  large  variety  of  articles,  as  follows :  Elec- 
tric plants,  locomotive  engines  ($790,000),  min- 
ing machinery,  spinning  machinery  ($1,429,000), 
boilers  and  engines  ($107,000).  Most  of  it  was 
furnished  by  Great  Britain. 

The  sugar  that  Japan  imports  comes  orig- 
inally from  Formosa,  but  is  refined  in  Hong- 
kong, but  there  is  going  to  be  a  decided  change 
in  this  business.  Now  that  Formosa  has  been 
annexed  to  Japan,  the  raw  sugar  will  be  shipped 
direct  and  refined  there.  It  is  the  intention  of 
the  government  to  develop  the  sugar  industry  in 
Formosa,  which,  although  extensive,  is  conducted 
in  a  very  primitive  manner.  That  island  is  sim- 
ilar in  latitude,  climate,  soil  and  resources  to 
Cuba,  and  is  likely  to  give  as  much  trouble  in 
government  for  several  years  as  Cuba  has  given 
Spain. 

Although  Japan  exported  nearly  $5,500,000 
worth  of  rice  in  1894,  she  imported  nearly  as 
much,  which  came  from  Siam,  French  India, 
China,  Korea,  and  British  India.  The  reason 
for  this  freak  of  trade  is  that  the  people  ship 
their  own  product  to  Europe,  where  it  brings  the 
150 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

highest  prices,  and  import  a  cheaper  grade  from 
China  and  Korea.  The  Japanese  rice  is  said  to 
be  the  best  in  the  world,  and  to  have  a  particu- 
lar flavor  that  is  'more  agreeable  to  Europeans. 
Other  breadstuffs  imported  into  the  country  are 
beans,  peas,  and  millet,  which  come  mostly  from 
China  and  Korea,  and  about  $306,000  worth  of 
flour  from  the  United  States. 

England  furnishes  the  greater  portion  of  the 
iron  and  steel  imported  into  Japan.  The  prin- 
cipal items  under  this  head  in  1894  were:  rails 
($604,000),  bar  and  rod  ($669,000),  iron  nails 
($666,000),  which  came  mostly  from  Germany, 
pig  iron  ($376,000),  plate  and  sheet  ($450,000), 
pipes  and  tubes  ($242,000),  wire  ($42,000),  gal- 
vanized sheets  ($78,000),  and  a  little  telegraph 
and  steel  wire. 

The  woolen  imports  consisted  of  raw  wool 
from  Australia,  yarns  from  Germany,  cloths 
from  Germany  and  England,  flannels  from  Ger- 
many, and  blankets  from  Great  Britain. 

It  has  often  been  said  by  facetious  travellers 
that  the  only  exports  from  the  United  States  to 
Japan  are  kerosene  oil  and  missionaries.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  the  former  article  furnishes  the 
largest  item  in  our  commerce,  averaging  36,000- 
ooo  gallons,  valued  at  $2,039,000,  while  Russia 
sent  9,500,000,  gallons  valued  at  $526,000. 

The  drugs  and  medicines  used  in  Japan  come 
mostly  from  Great  Britain,  the  dyes  from  Ger- 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

many,  and  the  perfumeries  and  cosmetics  from 
France.  We  furnish  a  good  deal  of  leather, 
but  most  of  the  hides  come  from  India  and 
Korea. 

A  good  deal  of  condensed  milk  is  shipped 
into  Japan  from  the  United  States  and  Switzer- 
land, as  they  have  very  few  cows  there.  The 
butter  comes  from  the  United  States,  Holland 
and  Denmark  in  tins.  The  grass  of  the  country 
is  not  suitable  for  dairy  food.  Alfalfa  has  been 
successfully  grown,  but  you  see  very  little  of 
it.  Americans  who  keep  cows  import  hay  from 
the  United  States.  Other  provisions  come 
from  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  in 
the  form  of  preserved  fish,  fruits,  meats  and 
vegetables. 

Very  little  wine  and  liquor  is  imported  into 
Japan,  and  that  is  used  almost  exclusively  by 
foreigners.  There  are  several  breweries  and  dis- 
tilleries in  the  country  and  some  wine  is  made, 
but  the  national  drink  is  sak£ — a  brandy  made 
from  rice,  which  is  used  extensively  by  all  classes, 
but  you  see  very  little  intoxication. 

The  annual  returns  of  the  foreign  trade  of 
Japan  for  1894,  show  a  list  of  196  articles  im- 
ported from  the  United  States,  204  from 
France,  279  from  Germany,  and  335  from  Great 
Britain. 

The  list  of  the  United  States  contains  nearly 
everything  that  can  come  under  the  head   of 
152 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

general  merchandise,  from  lead  pencils  to  loco- 
motives, but,  as  I  have  said,  the  chief  value  is  in 
petroleum.  The  exports  from  Germany,  France, 
and  England  are  nearly  all  manufactured  goods, 
and  consists  of  articles  that  might  be  furnished 
by  the  United  States  at  equally  low  prices.  Aside 
from  machinery  the  largest  part  of  the  imports 
of  Japan  are  raw  materials  for  their  own  factor- 
ies to  work  over  into  articles  of  merchandise, 
many  of  which  are  sent  abroad. 

A  result  of  the  remarkable  national  spirit  that 
was  aroused  in  Japan  by  the  late  war,  is  a  deter- 
mination on  the  part  of  the  native  merchants  to 
control  both  the  import  and  export  trade.  The 
foreign  commerce  of  Japan  has  always  been  con- 
ducted very  largely  by  foreign  commission 
houses  in  the  treaty  ports,  which  have  stood  as 
middlemen  between  the  producer,  the  manufac- 
turer and  the  merchant  of  Japan,  and  those  in 
foreign  countries  who  have  bought  from  or  sold 
goods  to  him;  but  now  the  natives  are  deter- 
mined to  abolish  this  system  and  trade  direct. 
This  movement  is  not  so  much  to  avoid  the  com- 
missions charged  by  the  middlemen,  as  to  gratify 
the  national  pride.  The  following  tables,  from 
official  sources,  show  the  comparative  volume  of 
trade  handled  by  the  foreign  and  the  native 
merchants  during  the  last  ten  years  : 


153 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 


Exports  Exports 

Year.                                                           through  through 

Japanese.  Foreigners, 

yen.  yen. 

1885 2,103,743  31,390,019 

1886 5,713,201  41,628,570 

1887 6,555,436  43,996,087 

1888 7,142,916  56,599,289 

1889 6,900,775  61,641,543 

1890 6,207,489  48,767,636 

1891 8,839,025  69,144,862 

1892 ",471,009  77,943,924 

1893 14.362,029  74,485,809 

1894 20,348,535  92,897,551 

Imports  Imports 

v  through  through 

Japanese.  Foreigners, 
yen.  yen. 

1885 2,344,986  25,724,772 

1886 2,566,150  28,332,800 

1887 5,030,231  37,365,703 

1888 8,593,755  53,820,247 

1889 9,778,014  54,349,248 

1890 19,629,759  61,033,110 

1891 14,324,841  47,692,803 

1892       ......  13,932,769  56,263,748 

1893 16,891,696  70,908,139 

1894 34,324,804  $3,157,151 

This  shows  a  steady  increase  in  the  articles 
exported  and  imported  through  Japanese  firms, 
the  exports  having  increased  more  than  six 
times,  and  the  imports  more  than  fourteen  times 
during  the  past  decade.  But  it  was  only  a  nat- 
ural increase  accompanying  the  general  expan- 
sion of  trade,  that  which  passed  through  the 
hands  of  foreign  firms  having  increased  in  the 
same  proportion.  The  fact  that  Japan's  foreign 
trade  is  in  the  hands  of  foreigners  remains  un- 
changed. 

The  Tokyo  chamber  of  commerce  recently 
memorialized  parliament  on  this  subject,  asking 
'54 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

the  assistance  of  the  government  in  securing  the 
control  of  foreign  trade.  They  even  went  so  far 
as  to  demand  the  establishment  of  native  steam- 
ship lines,  in  order  that  they  might  not  be  de- 
pendent upon  foreigners  for  transportation  facili- 
ties; and  the  native  merchants  and  manufactur- 
ers have  just  organized  what  is  known  as  the 
"  Foreign  Trade  Association,"  whose  object  may 
be  inferred  from  the  following  list  of  commit- 
tees: 

1.  To  report  facts  important  to  exporters. 

2.  To  secure  increased  facilities. 

3.  To  prevent  the   exportation   of  spurious 
products. 

4.  To  secure  government  encouragement  for 
the  export  trade. 

5.  For  the  education  of  able  men  for  the  ex- 
port trade. 

6.  To  encourage  intimacy  between  producers 
and  exporters. 

7.  To  encourage  the  development  of  indus- 
tries for  export. 

8.  To  examine  the   commercial    conditions 
and  requirements  of  foreign  markets. 

There  is  the  utmost  friendliness  towards  the 
United  States  among  all  classes,  from  the  em- 
peror to  the  coolie,  and  it  is  exhibited  on  all  oc- 
casions. There  is  scarcely  a  merchant  in  all 
Japan,  except  those  who  have  been  educated  in 
England,  that  would  not  prefer  to  trade  with  the 

155 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

United  S'tates,  and  the  government  has  re- 
peatedly shown  its  good  will  by  offering  to  pay 
higher  prices  for  supplies  from  America  than  the 
same  articles  would  cost  in  Europe.  Our  gov- 
ernment could  make  any  sort  of  alliance,  politi- 
cal or  commercial,  with  Japan.  A  member  of 
the  ministry  remarked  to  me: 

"  I  can  conceive  of  no  calamity  more  painful 
than  a  misunderstanding  between  our  countries." 

The  fourth  of  July  is  always  a  great  day  in 
Yokohama.  All  the  subjects  of  European 
nations  residing  there,  all  the  Japanese  officials, 
high  and  low,  and  all  strangers  who  happen  to 
be  within  those  gates,  always  join  with  the 
American  colony  in  celebrating  the  anniversary 
of  our  independence.  The  United  States  min- 
ister and  consul-general  hold  receptions  in  the 
morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  there  is  usually  a 
dancing  party  and  luncheon  upon  a  man-of-war 
in  the  harbor.  The  Grand  hotel,  which  is  the 
center  of  social  life  in  Japan,  is  crowded  with 
gaily  dressed  parties,  and  in  the  evening  fire- 
works and  set  pieces  are  displayed  from  a  float 
anchored  in  the  bay. 

Last  year  the  celebration  was  attended  with 
more  enthusiasm  than  ever  before,  and  from 
daylight  to  midnight  the  air  was  filled  with  the 
odor  of  powder  and  explosions,  music,  rockets 
and  red  fire.  The  flagship  Baltimore,  in  com- 
mand of  Admiral  Carpenter,  came  up  from  the 
156 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

China  sea  to  do  the  honors,  and  the  reception 
given  by  the  officers  •  during  the  afternoon  was 
one  of  the  most  elegant  and  enjoyable  affairs 
ever  known  in  Japan.  The  ships  in  the  harbor 
were  all  gayly  dressed  with  bunting,  and  as  there 
were  ten  men-of-war  and  eighteen  merchant 
ships  at  anchor,  they  made  quite  a  spectacle. 
The  British  flagship  Centurion,  of  10,500  tons, 
and  one  of  the  most  formidable  of  her  majesty's 
navy,  was  attended  by  the  cruisers  Edgar,  Un- 
daunted, Leander  and  Alacrity.  The  French 
flagship  Bayard,  the  German  cruiser  Itlis  and 
the  Russian  cruisers  Mandjur  and  Razbonyk 
made  especial  demonstrations,  and  nearly  every- 
body you  met  on  the  street  had  a  cravat  or  a 
handkerchief  made  to  resemble  the  American 
flag,  or  a  bit  of  red,  white  and  blue  ribbon  tied 
in  his  buttonhole. 

And  the  pleasantest  part  of  it  was  that  the 
enthusiasm  seemed  to  be  universal.  There  is 
sharp  competition  in  trade  between  our  people 
and  the  Europeans,  but  not  so  much  as  between 
themselves,  and  we  are  the  next  friend  to  each 
of  them,  so  that  all  joined  with  the  most  cordial 
feeling  in  the  celebration  of  our  birthday.  The 
four  British  dailies  suspended  publication,  most 
of  the  business  houses  and  all  the  banks,  even 
those  owned  and  managed  by  Englishmen, 
closed  for  the  day,  and  no  city  in  America  ob- 
served the  occasion  more  generally.  Nor  is  any 

157 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

foreign  holiday  more  universally  observed  in 
Japan.  The  birthday  of  Queen  Victoria  and 
the  anniversary  of  her  coronation  are  made  much 
of  wherever  Englishmen  are  found,  and  the 
French  and  Germans  also  have  their  national 
fetes,  but  their  celebrations  are  limited  to  the 
subjects  of  their  own  nation  and  are  not  general 
like  the  Fourth  of  July.  Nor  do  the  officials 
and  people  of  Japan  take  part  in  any  other  holi- 
day. They  always  observe  the  Fourth  of  July 
with  as  much  ardor  as  one  of  their  own  great 
days,  but  entirely  overlook  similar  anniversaries 
of  other  nations. 

Americans  are  more  patriotic  when  they  are 
abroad  than  when  they  are  at  home.  The  stars 
and  stripes  are  always  more  beautiful  when  you 
see  them  flying  in  a  foreign  harbor,  and  you 
sing  "Home,  Sweet  Home"  with  a  great  deal 
more  fervor  when  you  are  bouncing  around  in 
half  a  gale  of  wind  at  sea. 

The  government  of  the  United  States  is  espe- 
cially fortunate  in  the  character  of  its  representa- 
tives in  Japan,  and  the  American  colony  is 
composed  of  a  high  class  of  people.  Mr.  Dun 
of  Ohio,  our  minister;  Mr.  Herrod  of  Indiana, 
the  secretary  of  legation ;  Commander  Barber, 
the  naval  attach^ ;  Mr.  Mclvor  of  Iowa,  the 
consul-general;  Mr.  McLean,  the  vice-consul- 
general  ;  Mr.  Skidmore,  the  deputy  consul-gen- 
eral, and  Dr.  Abercrombie,  the  consul  at  Naga- 
158 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

saki,  are  all  gentlemen  of  the  highest  character 
and  universally  popular.  I  did  not  hear  a 
single  complaint  or  criticism  of  any  one  of  them 
while  I  was  in  Japan,  and  that  is  quite  remark- 
able, because  visiting  and  resident  Americans  in 
other  parts  of  the  world  have  an  irresistible  ten- 
dency to  say  disagreeable  things  about  the 
diplomatic  and  consular  agents  of  their  govern- 
ment. 

There  are  three  commercial  exchanges  in 
Tokyo,  at  which  business  is  conducted  upon  the 
same  general  principles  as  at  the  board  of  trade 
in  Chicago,  the  New  York  stock  exchange  and 
other  similar  institutions,  except  that  a  larger 
proportion  of  the  trades  are  for  actual  delivery 
and  a  smaller  proportion  for  speculative  profit. 
At  the  stock  exchange  government  bonds,  rail- 
way bonds  and  shares  and  other  securities  are 
dealt  in,  and  the  organization  dates  back  twenty 
years.  Another  exchange,  at  which  nothing  but 
rice  is  dealt  in,  is  even  older,  and  was  started 
in  1870  soon  after  the  restoration.  The  third  is 
a  sort  of  miscellaneous  affair,  at  which  all  staple 
products  except  rice  is  bought  and  sold,  includ- 
ing wheat,  flour,  corn,  barley,  oats,  beans,  salt, 
sugar,  oil,  coal,  cotton,  iron  and  other  metals. 

During  the  last  six  months  of  1895  at  the  stock 

exchange  $10,300,000  in  government  bonds  were 

bought  and  sold,  or  a  daily  average  of  about 

$71,527,  and  forty-seven  different  kinds  of  stocks 

'59 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

to  the  value^of  $60,493,503.  The  total  number 
of  transactions  involved  was  60,380,  or  an  aver- 
age of  about  410  a  day.  There  are  seventy  mem- 
bers of  the  stock  exchange,  all  of  them  active 
brokers,  who  have  their  offices  in  little  narrow 
alleys  surrounding  the  old  building,  which  has 
been  used  ever  since  the  exchange  was  organ- 
ized. They  are  divided  into  five  groups  or  com- 
panies for  the  sake  of  convenience,  each  being 
in  charge  of  an  experienced  member,  who  is  the 
representative  of  his  group  in  the  executive  com- 
mittee and  board  of  management,  and  is  ex- 
pected to  look  out  for  the  good  behavior  and 
discipline  of  the  members  of  his  division.  There 
are  no  arbitrary  dividing  lines,  and  a  broker 
may  select  his  own  division  if  he  has  a  choice, 
but  they  are  generally  arranged  according  to  the 
location  of  their  offices,  and  are  known  by  the 
points  of  the  compass.  All  disputes  or  appeals 
from  the  officials  of  the  board  are  decided  by 
the  heads  of  division,  who,  sitting  as  a  com- 
mittee, are  the  final  authority  in  all  such  mat- 
ters. 

More  than  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  sales  are  genu- 
ine and  for  actual  investment.  The  remainder 
are  speculative.  There  is  very  small  encour- 
agement for  speculation,  because  prices  fluctuate 
but  little  and  bidding  is  limited  to  ten  sen,  or 
five  cents  a  share.  The  smallest  deal  allowed  is 
five  shares.  Three  hundred  shares  is  considered  a 
160 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

very  large  transaction.  A  sale  of  five  hundred 
shares  creates  great  excitement,  and  one  thousand, 
bought  or  sold,  will  shake  the  market.  The  aver- 
age transactions  are  fifty  and  one  hundred  shares. 
The  government  bonds  and  most  of  the  railway 
shares  are  at  a  par  of  fifty  yen,  instead  of  one 
hundred  as  with  us. 

The  exchange  has  a  rake-off  on  every  trans- 
action, which  includes  the  government  tax,  and 
is  made  plain  to  everybody  by  printed  placards 
posted  in  conspicuous  places.  On  all  trades  in- 
volving ten  yen  or  less,  the  treasury  of  the 
exchange  gets  seven-tenths  of  a  sen ;  over  ten 
and  less  than  fifty,  seven  sen ;  over  fifty  and  less 
than  seventy-five,  eleven  sen ;  over  seventy-five 
and  less  than  one  hundred,  fifteen  sen,  and  so 
on  up  to  transactions  of  five  hundred  yen  which 
pay  the  exchange  sixty-one  sen  each.  A  sen 
was  originally  equivalent  to  our  cent,  and  one 
hundred  sen  make  one  yen,  which  is  equivalent 
to  a  Mexican  silver  dollar. 

The  exchange  is  a  stock  company,  in  which 
all  of  the  brokers  own  shares.  A  man  must  own 
at  least  one  share  to  enjoy  the  privileges  of  the 
institution,  but  nearly  all  his  money  comes  back 
to  him  in  dividends,  and,  being  limited  as  well 
as  profitable,  shares  are  in  great  demand.  Last 
year,  which  was  unusually  prosperous  on  account 
of  the  speculative  excitement  caused  by  the  war, 
a  forty  per  cent,  dividend  was  declared  after  pay- 
161 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

ing  all  the  running  expenses  and  the  govern- 
ment tax. 

The  brokers'  commissions  are  officially  ar- 
ranged in  a  similar  manner.  On  fifty  shares  or 
less  they  are  allowed  to  charge  their  customers 
fifteen  sen,  which  is  the  lowest;  and  then  the 
commissions  increase  with  every  fifty  shares  until 
the  charge  for  a  deal  of  three  hundred  shares  is 
seventy  sen,  and  four  hundred  and  fifty  shares 
one  yen  or  one  dollar.  No  provision  is  made  for 
deals  of  more  than  five  hundred  shares,  but 
when  they  occur  commissions  are  charged  in  the 
same  proportion. 

The  exchange  is  open  six  days  in  the  week, 
and.  is  closed  on  Sunday  out  of  respect  to  the 
Christian  religion.  In  summer  there  are  seven 
calls  a  day — at  8,  9,  10,  u,  12,  2  and  3  o'clock. 
In  winter  the  8  o'clock  call  is  omitted.  There 
is  some  trading  between  calls,  but  that  is  consid- 
ered irregular.  About  five  or  ten  minutes  be- 
fore the  hour  one  of  the  janitors  goes  out  to  the 
front  door  and  rings  a  big  dinner-bell,  which  is 
the  signal  for  business.  The  brokers  then  begin 
flocking  in  from  their  offices,  bareheaded,  bare- 
footed and  wearing  the  native  dress,  which  is  a 
kimono,  usually  of  some  dark  blue  stuff,  which 
is  open  at  the  neck  and  down  in  front,  and  se- 
cured around  the  waist  by  a  silk  belt.  Under 
this  kimono  they  wear  an  undershirt  of  cotton 
gauze  or  silk,  or  some  other  light  material,  and 
162 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

perhaps  another  white  cotton  kimono  next  to 
the  skin.  But  their  legs  are  bare,  and  in  the 
excitement  of  trading  they  throw  back  their 
clothing  to  such  an  extent  that  one  might  im- 
agine that  the  whole  party  had  just  dropped  in 
on  their  way  to  the  bath  in  their  bathing  robes. 
When  the  clock  strikes  the  hour  they  gather 
in  front  of  a  platform  upon  which  three  clerks 
and  an  umpire  are  sitting  or  standing.  The 
signal  for  business  is  given  by  the  chief  clerk, 
who  sits  in  the  middle,  by  clapping  together  two 
blocks  of  woods  that  are  inscribed  with  Japanese 
characters.  One  of  the  clerks  then  calls  out  the 
names  of  the  different  stocks  in  alphabetical  or- 
der, hanging  up  a  long  board  at  the  same  time 
which  contains  the  same  titles.  The  brokers 
then  begin  to  clamor  and  wave  their  hands  in 
the  air  in  a  most  excited  manner.  Those  who 
desire  to  sell  make  a  motion  away  from  them- 
selves toward  the  others.  Those  who  desire  to 
buy  a  make  a  motion  toward  their  faces  with  the 
palm  of  their  hand,  at  the  same  time  yelling  at 
the  top  of  their  voices  the  price  they  are  willing 
to  give  or  accept.  When  they  decide  to  buy  or 
sell,  as  the  case  may  be,  they  strike  hands  three 
times  and  the  caller  on  the  platform  sings  out 
the  trade,  giving  the  names  of  the  persons,  the 
number  of  shares  and  the  price,  which  are  re- 
corded in  a  peculiar  manner  by  a  quick-witted 
clerk  who  never  looks  up  from  his  paper,  but 
163 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

keeps  his  ink,brush  moving  like  an  electric  cur- 
rent all  the  time.  The  umpire,  who  is  an  old 
broker  retired  from  business,  stands  by  to  settle 
disputes,  but  is  very  seldom  appealed  to.  I  am 
informed  that  there  has  not  been  a  single  con- 
troversy to  be  settled  by  the  board  so  far  during 
the  present  year. 

The  brokers  keep  no  account  of  their  own 
sales  or  purchases,  but  leave  that  all  to  the  clerks 
of  the  exchange  through  whom  the  business  is 
done.  When  trading  languishes  and  it  appears 
that  nobody  wants  to  buy  or  sell  any  more  the 
caller  claps  his  sticks  together,  which  is  the  sig- 
nal for  closing  business  in  that  particular  stock, 
and  proceeds  with  the  rest  through  the  list  in 
that  order  to  the  end.  In  dull  times  the  whole 
forty-seven  stocks  in  the  list  are  gone  through 
with  in  ten  minutes,  but  often,  when  there  is 
excitement,  they  occupy  the  whole  hour,  and  a 
new  set  of  clerks  come  out  to  relieve  those  that 
were  on  duty. 

At  the  close  of  the  call  the  clerks  retire  to 
their  offices,  and  the  record  clerk  takes  his 
blanks,  which  are  ruled  in  blue  for  the  afternoon 
and  red  for  the  morning,  and  reads  off  to  three 
or  four  clerks  sitting  around  him  the  list  of 
transactions,  while  they  separate  them  according 
to  the  different  brokers,  placing  a  memorandum 
for  the  buyer  on  one  kind  of  blank  of  a  certain 
color  and  that  for  the  seller  upon  another.  The 
164 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

original  records  look  as  if  a  baby  had  been 
scratching  upon  them  with  a  pen  and  ink.  A 
mark  in  the  left-hand  corner,  resembling  a  seal, 
is  the  name  of  the  stock  ;  an  X  is  the  date.  The 
first  column  shows  the  number  of  shares,  the 
second  column  the  price,  the  third  column  the 
name  of  the  broker  buying  and  the  fourth  col- 
umn the  broker  selling. 

When  the  clerks  have  finished  the  records 
they  send  a  statement,  which  is  a  delivery  cer- 
tificate, to  the  buyer,  and  a  similar  document, 
which  is  a  receipt,  to  the  seller ;  and  the  trans- 
action is  completed  through  the  office  of  the 
board.  At  the  close  of  the  day  each  broker  is 
furnished  with  a  statement  of  his  transactions 
during  the  several  calls  upon  another  blank. 
The  exchange  as  a  body  becomes  responsible  for 
all  transactions  that  are  made  under  its  auspices. 
In  other  words,  it  guarantees  that  the  buyer  will 
accept  and  pay  for  whatever  he  purchases,  and 
that  the  seller  will  deliver. 

Business  on  the  rice  exchange  is  conducted 
in  a  similar  manner,  but  usually  with  a  greater 
degree  of  excitement,  as  rice  is  the  great  staple 
of  the  country.  The  usual  day's  transactions  are 
about  30,000  kokus,  a  koku  being  equivalent  to 
five  English  bushels,  and  worth  $8.50  to  $9. 
During  the  month  of  June,  1895,  743,440  kokus 
were  bought  and  sold,  of  which  only  a  little  more 
than  100,000  were  for  actual  delivery,  which 
165 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

shows  a  larger  amount  of  speculation  than  on 
the  stock  exchange.  A  bell  is  rung  before  each 
call ;  there  are  seven  calls  a  day  in  summer  and 
six  in  winter,  and  ninety  brokers  are  members 
of  the  exchange.  A  quick-witted  clerk  makes 
the  same  sort  of  a  record,  although  a  simpler 
one,  because  there  is  only  one  article  to  be  dealt 
in. 

Nobody  but  the  clerk  himself  can  read  these 
hieroglyphics,  but  he  never  makes  a  mistake. 
He  has  been  engaged  in  this  work  for  fourteen 
years  and  his  records  have  never  yet  been  ques- 
tioned. This  is  very  remarkable  because  of  the 
excitement  and  confusion  that  always  prevail  on 
the  board  during  business  hours.  The  record 
is  somewhat  simplified  by  the  fact  that  every 
broker  has  his  rubric,  or  official  sign,  which  is 
known  to  the  clerks  and  is  used  in  keeping  the- 
records  instead  of  the  name  of  his  firm.  He 
uses  it  as  a  seal  on  all  his  official  documents  and 
none  are  authentic  unless  they  bear  it. 

Formerly  the  merchant  class  were  the  lowest 
in  the  social  scale  in  Japan.  They  were  even 
below  policemen.  Soldiers  ranked  the  highest 
of  the  middle  caste  and  next  to  the  nobility ; 
then  the  farmers,  artisans  and  artists,  mechanics, 
and  finally  the  merchants,  next  above  the  coolie 
or  laboring  class.  One  of  the  results  of  the  ref- 
ormation in  Japan  has  been  to  partially  reverse 
this  order.  There  also  been  several  other  classes 
166 


The  Foreign  Commerce  of  Japan 

introduced  into  what  may  be  termed  the  com- 
mercial caste — manufacturers,  brokers,  managers 
of  corporations  and  scientific  and  professional 
men.  The  social  scale  is  now  as  follows  : 

1.  Bankers,    high    officials  of    corporations, 
scientific  and  professional  men  who  are  gradu- 
ates of  the  university. 

2.  Brokers,  manufactures  and  wholesale  mer- 
chants. 

3.  Retail  merchants. 

4.  Artists  and  skilled  artisans. 

5.  Soldiers  and  policemen. 

6.  Farmers. 

7.  Laborers  or  coolies. 

The  war  with  China,  has,  however,  elevated 
the  military  class  in  the  social  scale,  but  their 
new  position  is  probably  only  temporary. 


167 


VII 

Railways  and  'Rikishas 

There  are  no  navigable  rivers  in  JarJan. 
There  are  a  few  canals  of  local  importance,  and 
one  of  them,  which  connects  Kyoto,  the  ancient 
capital,  with  a  neighboring  lake,  is  a  marvel  of 
engineering,  as  it  passes  through  a  chain  of 
rugged  mountains  and  a  tunnel  several  miles 
long.  In  former  years  the  traffic  of  the  empire 
was  conducted  by  means  of  the  canals  and  a 
system  of  highways  which  were  constructed  and 
controlled  by  the  government.  The  chief  of 
these  were  the  Tokaido,  which  means  "  Eastern 
sea  road,"  running  from  Kyoto  eastward  and 
northward,  following  the  coast  line  as  far  as 
practicable  to  the  city  of  Yedo,  which  is  called 
Tokyo  now.  Another  road  called  the  Naka- 
sendo  Kaido  went  northward  from  Kyoto,  bi- 
secting the  interior  of  the  empire  and  following 
the  chain  of  mountains  which  furnish  a  backbone 
for  Japan.  A  third  was  the  Piku  Kaido,  which  led 
northward  from  Tokyo  to  the  extreme  prov- 
inces. From  these  roads  branches  were  con- 
structed to  the  settled  portions  of  the  country. 
168 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

The  whole  system  was  admirably  planned  for 
the  convenience  of  commerce  and  travel. 

The  Tokaido  was  the  main  highway,  like  the 
royal  road  of  the  Incas  that  follows  the  breast 
of  the  Andes  from  Ecuador  to  Chile,  and  is  still 
one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  But  the  Jap- 
anese highways  were  less  difficult  of  construc- 
tion, because  the  country  is  not  so  mountainous 
nor  so  rocky  as  Peru.  The  Tokaido  is  narrow 
and  well  paved  after  a  fashion  that  suggests  our 
macadam  pavement.  It  slopes  sharply  from  the 
center  to  the  gutters,  which  have  conduits  to 
carry  the  water  into  the  irrigating  ditches  and 
reservoirs  on  either  side  for  the  use  of  the  farmers. 

Few  vehicles  were  known  in  Japan  until  1868. 
Pack  horses  were  used  to  a  considerable  extent, 
but  most  of  the  burdens  were  carried  on  the 
backs  of  men. 

For  centuries  the  Tokaido  was  traversed  twice 
a  year  by  the  daimios — the  feudal  princes  of 
Japan — and  their  gorgeous  retinues,  who  once  a 
year  visited  Tokyo  to  pay  their  respects  to  the 
shogun.  Each  was  accompanied  by  thousands 
of  knights,  called  samurai,  and  coolies,  who  bore 
their  armor  and  trappings  and  the  tribute  they 
were  required  to  pay  annually  at  court.  At  in- 
tervals on  this,  as  well  as  on  other  great  high- 
ways, fine  tea  houses  were  erected,  in  which 
their  highnesses  found  refreshment  and  sleeping 
accommodations,  and,  like  the  inns  of  England 
169 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  they  were  gay 
resorts  for  the  exchange  of  gossip  and  the  enjoy- 
ment of  amusements.  The  avenue  was  lined 
with  fine  trees  and  bordered  with  hedges,  many 
of  which  still  exist.  The  roadway,  which  was 
made  of  crushed  pebbles,  was  as  smooth  as  a 
floor  and  never  muddy,  for  its  surface  shed  the 
rain  like  a  roof,  and  during  the  dry  season  it 
was  sprinkled  with  water  several  times  a  day. 

Most  of  the  travelers  went  on  foot,  but  the 
princes  and  others  of  high  degree  were  carried 
in  sedan  chairs  or  palanquins,  similar  to  those  of 
India  and  Turkey,  while  those  of  the  lower 
classes  who  were  ill,  or  able  to  afford  it,  rode  in 
kagos — modest  chairs  of  bamboo  carried  by  two 
coolies.  The  etiquette  of  the  road  was  well  de- 
fined and  rigidly  enforced.  When  the  trains  of 
two  princes  met  the  prince  of  lesser  rank  dis- 
mounted from  his  chair  and  drew  his  followers 
up  by  the  roadside  to  salute  his  superior  as  he 
passed.  But  these  meetings  were  avoided  when 
possible.  There  were  often  collisions  between 
the  followers  of  the  princes  at  the  tea  houses 
and  along  the  way,  and  their  two-handed  swords 
did  great  execution.  Time  and  distance  were 
not  considered,  but  dignity  was  maintained  at 
any  cost. 

Since  the  reformation,  however,  these  high- 
ways have  been  used  exclusively  for  local  com- 
munication. They  are  kept  in  good  repair  by 
170 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

the  county  authorities,  and  you  meet  a  great 
many  coolies  carrying  packs  of  merchandise  on 
their  backs  from  the  cities  to  the  country  shop- 
keepers, and  hauling  carts  loaded  with  produce 
from  the  farms  to  the  market;  but  the  greatest 
use  of  the  roads  at  present  is  by  the  jinrikisha — 
the  little  carriage  drawn  by  man  power  so  com- 
mon in  Japan.  The  roads  are  well  adapted  to 
them,  and  all  the  passenger  traffic  in  the  interior 
is  carried  on  in  these  vehicles.  The  kagos  and 
the  sedan  chairs  are  almost  entirely  obsolete. 
You  see  them  only  in  the  museums. 

Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  map  of  Japan 
will  remember  that  it  has  a  long  and  narrow  ter- 
ritory shaped  something  like  a  crescent.  It  is 
not  more  than  two  hundred  miles  wide  at  the 
widest,  and  at  places  it  is  less  than  fifty.  It  is 
divided  throughout  its  entire  length  by  continu- 
ous ranges  of  high  hills  and  mountains  running 
almost  parallel  with  the  coast.  Therefore  when 
the  Japanese  government  began  its  system  of 
public  improvements,  which  are  in  many  cases 
remarkable,  it  planned  for  parallel  lines  of  rail- 
way following  practically  the  general  direction 
of  the  original  highways,  departing  from  it  only 
as  the  topography  of  the  country  and  the  loca- 
tion of  commercial  and  industrial  centers  re- 
quired, and  tapping  occasionally  the  ocean  ports 
to  connect  with  coasting  vessels  and  steamships 
from  foreign  lands. 

171 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

The  railways  along  the  eastern  and  southern 
coast,  which  is  the  most  populous  section  of  the 
country,  are  very  nearly  completed.  The  west- 
ern branch  of  the  system  is  only  partially  con- 
structed, and  much  of  the  traffic  of  that  portion  is 
carried  on  by  sea.  The  most  important  section 
of  the  railway  system  was  built  and  is  still  owned 
and  managed  by  the  government.  The  remain- 
ing lines  and  the  steamship  companies  belong  to 
private  parties,  but  are  liberally  subsidized. 

The  government  line  connects  the  two  capi- 
tals, Tokyo  and  Kyoto,  and  has  various  branches, 
with  a  total  mileage  of  559  miles.  There  are 
twenty-two  corporations  operating  private  lines, 
with  capital  stock  varying  from  100,000  to  20,- 
000,000  yen,  but  they  are  all  under  government 
control  and  are  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
minister  of  communication,  whose  regulations 
are  similar  to  those  of  the  interstate  commerce 
commission  in  the  United  States. 

The  original  government  roads  were  experi- 
mental. They  were  commenced  in  1870,  and 
with  the  idea  of  giving  a  practical  test  to  the 
several  methods.  American,  English,  French 
and  German  engineers  were  employed  to  super- 
intend the  same  style  of  construction  to  which 
they  were  accustomed  in  their  home  countries. 
The  natural  result  was  an  excessive  expenditure 
of  money,  but  it  was  not  wasted.  The  educa- 
tion of  native  engineers  was  expensive,  but  it 
172 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

was  valuable,  and  the  lessons  thus  learned  have 
made  the  Japanese  the  most  capable  and  eco- 
nomical railway  engineers  in  the  world. 

The  first  piece  of  road,  between  Yokohama 
and  Tokyo,  a  dead  level  eighteen  miles  long, 
hugging  closely  the  shore  of  the  Bay  of  Tokyo, 
cost  $200,000,  gold,  a  mile.  It  is  as  solid  and 
as  well  equipped  as  any  line  that  runs  out  of 
London.  The  Japanese  studied  every  step  in- 
tently, and  they  are  now  constructing  their  own 
track  at  a  cost  of  18,000  or  20,000  yen,  or  $9,000 
and  $10,000  a  mile,  over  much  more  difficult 
country. 

After  a  fair  test  the  English  system  was 
adopted  as  the  most  suitable  and  best  adapted 
to  the  requirements  of  the  people,  who  are  very 
thickly  settled  and  travel  a  great  deal,  but  only 
for  short  distances.  There  are  still  a  few  for- 
eigners left  in  the  railway  service — perhaps  half 
a  dozen  or  so — but  the  government  is  getting 
rid  of  them  and  substituting  natives.  And  up 
to  within  a  short  time  all  the  construction  ma- 
terial and  rolling  stock  was  imported  from  Eng- 
land and  Germany,  but  American  locomotives 
have  been  found  more  useful  on  the  heavy 
grades  and  are  being  substituted.  It  will  not 
be  long,  however,  before  the  Japanese  will  be 
making  all  their  own  rolling  stock.  They  are 
already  building  freight  and  passenger  cars,  and 
have  built  several  locomotives  in  their  shops, 
173 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

buying  certain  parts  in  England  and  making 
the  simpler  portions  there.  The  work  is  still  in 
the  experimental  stage.  Steel  and  iron  are  so 
cheap  in  Europe  that  they  find  it  more  eco- 
nomical to  buy  than  to  make  what  they  want, 
particularly  as  their  ore  is  not  of  a  good  quality. 

The  government  railways  in  Japan  are  well 
and  economically  managed,  which  is  not  the 
usual  rule  in  other  countries.  The  receipts  from 
passenger  traffic  constituted  78.4  per  cent  of 'the 
whole  last  year,  from  freight  19.1  per  cent,  and 
from  miscellaneous  sources  2.5  per  cent.  The 
small  earnings  from  freight  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  nearly  all  the  roads  meet  with  active  com- 
petition from  coasting  vessels,  while  in  the  inter- 
ior the  "short  hauls"  are  still  monopolized 
by  coolies,  who  carry  packs  on  their  backs  or 
haul  heavily  loaded  carts  with  the  aid  of  a  cow 
or  an  ox.  Horses  are  very  seldom  seen  except 
in  the  foreign  settlements.  You  can  ride  for 
days  through  the  country  without  seeing  a  single 
horse,  either  in  the  villages  or  on  the  farms.  I 
was  told  by  good  authority  that  there  are  only 
300,000  horses  in  Japan,  with  a  population  of 
over  40,000,000,  and  that  a  large  per  cent  of 
those  belong  to  the  army  and  other  branches 
of  the  government. 

The  railway  from  Tokyo,  the  new  capital  of 
the  empire,  to  Aomori,  at  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  main  island,  runs  parallel  with  the  Pacific 
174 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

coast,  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles  distant.  It  is  450 
miles  in  length. 

The  government  road  from  Tokyo  westward 
to  Kyoto  and  Kobe,  hugs  the  coast  a  distance  of 
376  miles,  and  passes  through  some  of  the  most 
important  towns  in  the  empire — Yokohama, 
Kodzu,  Nagoya,  and  Osaka.  This  road  has  been 
extended  westward  by  private  parties  along  the 
northern  coast  of  the  Inland  sea  to  Hiroshima,  a 
distance  of  189  miles,  and  it  is  proposed  to  con- 
tinue it  to  Nagasaki,  the  principal  port  on  the 
west  coast,  which  is  only  a  short  distance  across 
the  Yellow  sea  from  Tien-Tsin  and  Shanghai.  It 
also  runs  to  Yobuko,  at  the  top  of  the  northern- 
most peninsula  of  the  western  coast,  which  is 
only  a  short  distance  across  the  Korean  strait 
from  Fusan,  the  southern  port  of  Korea. 

The  western  section  of  this  road  extends  from 
Moji  along  the  northern  coast  and  then  south- 
ward along  the  western  coast  180  miles  to  Ku- 
mamoto.  The  distance  yet  to  be  constructed  to 
connect  the  extreme  northern  and  eastern  cities 
of  Japan  with  its  extreme  western  and  southern 
parts  is  156  miles,  for  which  surveys  have  been 
made.  Through  traffic  is  now  provided  by 
means  of  a  line  of  small  steamers  between  Hiros- 
hima and  Moji  on  the  Inland  sea. 

When  completed  the  trunk  line  extending 
the  entire  length  of  the  southern  island  will  be 
1,290  miles  long.  There  are  several  branches 

175 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

connecting  the  important  cities  with  the  main 
line,  one  of  which,  from  Tosu  to  Sada,  is  now 
being  extended  to  Nagasaki. 

On  the  northern  island,  called  Yezo,  there  is 
a  line  250  miles  long,  known  as  the  Tonko  rail- 
way, extending  from  Otaru,  the  chief  city  on  the 
western  coast,  to  Sapporo  and  other  interior 
points. 

The  standard  gauge  is  three  feet  six  inches. 
The  road  beds  are  usually  ballasted  with  stone, 
the  culverts  are  constructed  of  stone  and  the 
bridges  of  steel.  Steel  rails  are  used,  varying  in 
weight  from  fifty-two  to  sixty-three  pounds  to 
the  yard. 

The  usual  rate  of  passenger  trains  is  twenty 
miles  an  hour,  and  between  the  large  cities — 
that  is  Tokyo  and  Yokahama,  Kobe,  Osaka  and 
Kyoto — trains  usually  run  almost  every  hour. 

On  the  longer  lines  there  is  an  average  of 
four  or  five  trains  a  day;  generally  one  fast  ex- 
press and  the  others  slow  locals. 

There  are  no  luxuries  and  few  comforts  on 
the  Japanese  railways.  There  are  no  sleeping 
cars,  and  few  of  the  first-class  cars  have  toilet 
accommodations.  Nor  are  there  any  eating 
houses  along  the  line.  Travelers  have  to  carry 
lunch-baskets  or  buy  the  native  food  from  the 
peddlers  at  the  stations  and  eat  it  with  chop- 
sticks. 

According  to  statistics  from  the  Imperial 
176 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

Railway  Bureau,  the  total  mileage  of  railways  in 
operation  at  the  end  of  March,  1895,  was  2,130 
miles;  that  of  lines  under  construction  was  1,042 
miles,  and  the  number  of  railway  companies  was 
twenty-nine.  The  following  table  shows  the 
names,  capital,  total  mileage,  and  mileage  open 
to  traffic  of  the  various  lines  in  actual  operation 
— State  railways  being  excluded: 


Name 

Capital 

Total 
Mileage 

Lines  open 
for  Traffic 

yen. 

Miles. 

Miles. 

Nippon  Tetsudo    . 

30,000,000 

799- 

596. 

Sanyo  Tetsudo  . 

13,000,000 

307-47 

191.46 

Kyushu  Tetsudo    . 

11,000,000 

271.01 

161.05 

Chikusho  Tetsudo 

3,700,000 

38.47 

30.47 

Sanuki  Tetsudo 

330,000 

10.15 

10.15 

Kobu  Tetsudo    . 

1,350,000 

27.17 

27.17 

Kansai  Tetsudo     . 

6,500,000 

114.22 

66.53 

Osaka  Tetsudo    . 

3,000,000 

45-25 

3848 

Hokkaido  Tanko  Tetsudo 

6,500,000 

204.71 

204.71 

Ryo-mo  Tetsudo        . 

1,500,000 

52.17 

52.17 

Han-kai  Tetsudo  . 

400,000 

6.13 

6.13 

lyo  Tetsudo 

175,200 

13.02 

10.19 

Settsu  Tetsudo       . 

240,000 

8.35 

8-35 

Kushiro  Tetsudo 

200,000 

26.67 

26.67 

Sano  Tetsudo 
Sangu  Tetsudo    . 

145,000 
1,100,000 

23-58 
9.60 

23.58 
9.60 

So-bu  Tetsudo 

1,200,000 

31.40 

31.40 

Hoshu  Tetsudo  . 

2,000,000 

43-65 

Nau-wa  Tetsudo    . 

500,000 

16.40 

Kawagoye  Tetsudo    . 

300,000 

18.40 

18.40 

Aoume  Tetsudo 

100,000 

I3.07 

11.40 

Han-tan  Tutsudo 

1,000,000 

30.57 

23.00 

Nara  Tetsudo 

1,000,000 

25-53 

Bo-so  Tetsudo     . 

350,000 

11.75 

Ota  Tetsudo   . 

170,000 

12.  l8 

Nan-yo  Tetsudo  . 

95,000 

6-57 

Dogo  Tetsudo 

38,000 

3-07 

Naniwa  Tetsudo 

250,000 

8.13 

Hatsuse  Tetsudo  . 

500,000 

12.17 

Total    . 


.    86,643,203      2,193.12 


1.549-39 


177 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

With  regard  to  State  Railways,  figures  relat- 
ing to  them  were  as  follows: 

r-ir.itoi  Total  Open 

Line.                                     Capital  Mileage  for   Traffic 

yen.  Miles.  Miles. 

Tokaido  &  Naoyetsu .       .    38,103,252  557-49  557-49 

Fukushima-Hirosaki(Owu)   12,686,126  298.26  23.20 
Tsuruga  -  Toyama   ( Hoku- 

riku) 5.764.954  I23-58  

Total     .       .       .        56,554,332       979-33          580.69 

The  grand  totals  for  both  private  and  State 
lines  are  as  follows: 


Lines 

Capital 

Total 
Mileage 

Open 
for  Traffic 

yen. 

Miles. 

Miles. 

Private  Lines 

86,643,200 

2,193.12 

1,549.39 

State  Lines 

56,554,332 

979-33 

580.69 

Total  .       .       .    143,197,532        3,172.45  2,130.08 

Freight  charges  on  the  government  lines  are 
fixed  and  published  according  to  the  various 
classifications  of  merchandise  by  an  official  com- 
mission, and  at  present  are  as  follows : 

Class  i — 2  sen  per  picul,  or  i  cent  per  133 
pounds  per  mile. 

Class  2 — 3  sen  per  picul,  or  \y2  cents  per  133 
pounds  per  mile. 

Class  3 — 4  sen  per  picul,  or  2  cents  per  133 
pounds  per  mile. 

Class  4 — 5  sen  per  picul,  or  2^  cents  per  133 
pounds  per  mile. 

Class  5 — 7  sen  per  picul,  or  3  cents  per  133 
pounds  per  mile. 

The  government  managers  of  the  railroad 
178 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

have  authority  to  give  special  rates  for  carload 
lots  and  make  contracts  for  large  shipments, 
which  often  average  as  low  as  i  cent  per  ton  per 
mile. 

There  is  an  express  service  for  parcels  on 
passenger  trains,  charges  being  i  sen  (half  a 
cent)  per  kin  (1^3  pounds)  for  25  miles  or  less; 
\y2  sen  from  25  to  50  miles,  2  sen  from  50  to 
100  miles  and  */&  sen  for  each  additional  50 
miles. 

Passenger  rates  are  as  follows  : 

First  class — 3  sen  (ij^  cents)  per  mile  with 
133  pounds  luggage. 

Second  class — i  sen  per  mile  with  83  pounds 
luggage. 

Third  class — j^  sen  per  mile  with  40  pounds 
luggage. 

On  the  private  lines  the  rates  are  slightly 
higher,  but  are  subject  to  government  control. 
On  short  branches  of  the  government  roads 
there  are  higher  charges  for  special  rapid  transit 
for  the  accommodation  of  suburban  residents, 
but  second-class  fare  is  limited  by  law  to  i^ 
sen  (three-fourths  of  a  cent  United  States  gold) 
a  mile.  The  highest  third-class  fare  charged 
upon  any  of  the  railroads  is  1.3  sen,  or  about  7 
mills,  and  the  lowest  is  4  mills  a  mile. 

Railway  construction  in  Japan  has  been  com- 
paratively easy.  There  are  few  tunnels  or  heavy 
grades,  but  there  is  no  law  authorizing  condem- 
179 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

nation  proceedings  to  secure  a  right  of  way, 
which  is  often  troublesome. 

Numerous  companies  have  been  organized 
for  the  construction  of  electric  railways  in  Japan, 
and  many  of  them  will  doubtless  carry  out  their 
plans  in  the  immediate  future. 

There  are  also  applications  pending  before 
the  government  for  electric  lines  between  Yoko- 
hama and  Tokyo,  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles, 
and  between  Kobe,  Gsaka  and  Kyoto,  forty- 
eight  miles,  where  the  territory  is  very  thickly 
settled;  but  both  of  them  propose  to  parallel 
steam  railways  owned  by  the  government,  and 
it  is  a  question  whether  they  will  be  permitted, 
for  financial  reasons.  The  present  roads  pay 
dividends  of  9  per  cent,  and  more  into  the  pub- 
lic treasury,  and  their  earnings  would  be  re- 
duced by  competition. 

Although  Americans  and  other  foreigners 
may  not  actively  engage  in  the  management  of 
these  enterprises,  they  offer  a  very  tempting  op- 
portunity for  the  investment  of  capital,  and  will 
afford  a  large  market  for  steel  rails  of  light 
weight  and  electrical  material  when  their  con- 
struction is  commenced. 

The  policy  of  the  Japanese  government  as 
explained  to  me  by  the  minister  of  agriculture 
and  commerce,  is  decidedly  against  granting  to 
foreigners  concessions  for  any  form  of  transpor- 
tation or  communication,  or  for  any  public  im- 
180 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

provements  or  conveniences  whatsoever.  He 
explained  that  the  friction  between  the  telephone, 
electric  light,  gas,  water  supply,  railway,  street- 
car and  similar  companies  and  their  patrons  was 
already  becoming  troublesome,  and  that  parlia- 
ment would  very  soon  be  compelled  to  enact 
laws  similar  to  those  in  the  United  States  for  the 
regulation  of  such  enterprises.  It  would  be 
much  easier  to  control  and  restrict  them  if  they 
are  owned  by  citizens  of  Japan.  Foreigners 
would  naturally  appeal  for  protection  to  the  dip- 
lomatic agents  of  their  governments,  and  per- 
plexing complications  might  ensue.  Therefore, 
the  ministry,  which  had  given  the  subject  long 
and  serious  consideration,  had  decided,  and  he 
believed  wisely,  not  to  allow  the  control  of  any 
public  works  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  for- 
eigners. There  was  no  objection  to  the  invest- 
ment of  foreign  capital  in  their  stocks  and 
bonds,  but  the  management  must  be  strictly 
native,  and  laws  would  probably  be  passed  re- 
quiring all  directors  of  such  corporations  to  be 
subjects  of  the  empire. 

While  the  railway  management  in  Japan  is  in 
many  respects  admirable,  they  have  an  aggravat- 
ing way  of  changing  the  schedules  of  trains 
without  the  slightest  notice.  People  never  know 
when  or  why  a  train  is  taken  off,  or  the  hour  of 
its  departure  postponed.  Sometimes  a  regiment 
of  troops  coming  home  from  the  war  will  disar- 
181 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

range  the  whole  service.  A  member  of  the  min- 
istry, or  some  high  public  functionary,  may  want 
to  take  a  trip  by  a  special,  and  the  railway  man- 
agers will  take  off  one  of  the  regular  trains  to 
accommodate  him.  Such  incidents  are  occurring 
every  few  days,  and  of  course  some  one  always 
suffers  annoyance  in  consequence. 

One  day  a  gentleman  living  in  Tokyo  in- 
tended to  take  the  steamer  for  San  Francisco, 
which  left  Yokohama  at  1 1  o'clock.  The  dis- 
tance is  eighteen  miles,  and  he  arranged  to  leave 
by  the  8:30  train,  which  would  bring  him  at 
Yokohama  at  9:20,  and  give  him  an  hour  and 
forty  minutes  to  transfer  his  luggage  from  the 
railway  station  to  the  steamer.  On  arriving  at 
the  Tokyo  station  he  discovered  that  the  8:30 
train  had  been  taken  off  without  notice  and  there 
was  no  other  until  10:20,  which  would  bring  him 
into  Yokohama  at  n:io,  ten  minutes  after  the 
hour  at  which  his  steamer  was  appointed  to  sail. 
He  made  some  appropriate  remarks  to  the  rail- 
way managers  at  the  station,  and  then  began 
telegraphing  all  of  his  friends  who  were  supposed 
to  have  influence  with  the  steamship  company. 
They  prevailed  upon  the  captain  to  wait  for  him, 
and  about  1 1 130  he  came  aboard. 

As  a  rule,  however,  railway  officials  are  very 
obliging  and  take  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  ac- 
commodate travelers.  Nor  is  it  possible  to  in- 
duce them  to  accept  a  fee.  In  Europe  a  traveler 
18? 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

is  compelled  to  pay  everybody  connected  with  a 
train  or  a  railway  station  if  he  wants  to  protect 
himself  from  annoyance.  He  has  to  fee  the 
baggagemen,  the  porters,  the  conductors,  the 
guards  and  all  hands,  and  the  treatment  he  re- 
ceives is  governed  by  his  generosity.  In  Japan 
you  are  expected  to  give  a  penny  to  the  porter 
who  carries  your  luggage  from  the  jinrikisha  to 
the  baggage  room,  for  that  is  his  '  pidgin,'  and 
he  receives  no  pay  from  the  railway,  but  if  you 
offered  a  fee  of  any  amount  to  any  one  else  he 
would  be  grossly  insulted.  The  same  is  true  of 
policemen.  As  an  illustration,  I  carelessly  left 
a  notebook  on  the  seat  of  a  car  in  which  I  had 
travelled  from  Tokyo  to  Yokohama,  and  did  not 
discover  my  loss  until  the  train  had  left  for  the 
next  station.  I  went  to  the  stationmaster,  who 
immediately  sent  a  telegram  to  the  man  in 
charge  of  the  train,  and  I  found  my  notebook 
awaiting  me  when  I  returned  to  the  hotel  at 
Tokyo  that  evening.  I  offered  to  pay  the  sta- 
tionmaster and  the  telegraph  operator  for  their 
trouble.  They  made  very  polite  bows  and  as- 
sured me  that  they  felt  greatly  honored  by  hav- 
ing an  opportunity  to  do  me  a  service,  but 
declined  to  accept  money. 

It  has   been  only  forty  years  since  the  first 

steamship  was  seen  in  Japan.     That  was  a  little 

gunboat  purchased  in  Holland  by  the  Shogun 

Tokugawa.     The  example  set  by  the  regency 

183 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

was  followed  by  several  of  the  powerful  feudal 
lords,  like  Satsuma  and  Saga,  so  that  at  the  time 
of  the  restoration  in  1868  there  were  ten  war 
vessels  on  the  coast,  the  largest  being  not  more 
than  300  tons.  Since  then  the  Japanese  navy 
has  become  powerful,  and  it  is  the  intention  of 
the  government  to  increase  it  immediately  to 
200,000  tons. 

The  total  strength  of  the  navy  in  1893,  was 
thirty-two  vessels,  aggregating  44,777  tons,  and 
carrying  341  guns.  In  1894,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  war,  this  number  had  been  increased  to 
thirty-five  vessels,  of  71,187  tons  and  412  guns, 
At  present,  including  the  Chinese  vessels  cap- 
tured during  the  war,  there  are  now  about  forty- 
eight  vessels,  aggregating  nearly  100,000  tons. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  ves- 
sels in  the  merchant  marine  of  Japan  and  their 
total  and  registered  tonnage. 

M,,™K»,          Total          Registered 
Number.      Tonnage.        Tonnage. 

Steamers  ....  484  299,049.92  187,387.39 
Sailing  vessels  186  30,726.30  28,883.20 

Totals         ,       .       .670       329,776.22       216,270.59 
The  following  are  non-registered  vessels  car- 
rying the  flag  of  Japan: 

Number.         Tonnage. 

Steamers 284  5,046 

Sailing 526  13,430 

Totals 810  19,076 

This  makes  a  grand  total  of   1,480  vessels, 
with  a  total  tonnage  of  348,852.22.     This  does 
184 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

not  include  17,238  junks  engaged  in  the  coast- 
ing trade,  with  a  capacity  of  2,865,759  koku. 
The  latter  term  represents  a  measure  of  capacity 
equal  to  about  five  bushels. 

The  Japanese  have  always  been  a  seafaring 
people.  Their  sailors  are  as  bold  and  venture- 
some as  the  Norse  Kings,  and,  as  is  usually  the 
case  with  insular  nations,  have  always  had  the 
most  ardent  taste  for  the  sea.  During  the  middle 
ages  their  privateers  were  famous  and  much 
feared  among  the  eastern  nations  for  their  ag- 
gressiveness. They  visited  China,  Korea,  For- 
mosa, India  and  the  southern  islands,  both  as 
peaceful  traders  and  bucanneers.  One  of  their 
sea  kings,  named  Nagamasa,  invaded  Siam,  mar- 
ried a  princess  and  became  the  viceroy  of  that 
country.  The  story  of  his  adventures  reads  like 
a  chapter  from  "The  Arabian  Nights." 

But  the  history  of  the  modern  Japanese  navy 
may  be  said  to  commence  with  the  advent  of  an 
English  master  mariner  by  the  name  of  Will 
Adams,  who  reached  the  southern  coast  of  Japan 
in  1600  with  a  Dutch  fleet,  and  was  taken  pris- 
oner and  detained  by  the  Shogun  leyasu.  He 
soon  won  the  favor  of  that  enterprising  despot, 
and  served  as  chief  constructor  in  his  shipyards 
until  his  death,  in  1620.  Although  he  left  a 
wife  and  children  in  Kent  county,  England,  he 
brought  up  a  Japanese  family  also,  and  the 
grave  of  his  wife  and  himself  are  still  well  cared 
185 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

for  in  the  pretty  cemetery  near  Yokosuka,  a  little 
way  south  of  Yokohama. 

Adams  was  the  first  Englishman  who  ever 
reached  the  shores  of  Japan,  and  under  his  influ- 
ence the  commerce  of  the  country  as  well  as  its 
fighting  fleet  increased  to  considerable  propor- 
tions. It  is  a  well-authenticated  fact  that  one  of 
the  Japanese  vikings  sailed  as  far  away  as  the 
coast  of  Mexico;  but,  after  the  death  of  Adams, 
to  check  the  propaganda  of  the  catholic  church 
inaugurated  by  St.  Francis  Xavier,  the  Shogun 
lemitsu  issued  an  edict  by  which  not  only  all 
foreign  priests  were  expelled  from  the  country, 
but  foreign  merchants  were  restricted  to  the  two 
southwestern  ports,  and  Japanese  subjects  were 
forbidden  to  leave  the  country  under  pain  of 
death.  All  of  the  ships  that  had  been  built  un- 
der the  direction  of  Adams  were  destroyed,  and 
only  junks  of  limited  tonnage  were  allowed  to 
be  retained.  Even  they  were  required  to  be 
built  with  open  sterns  so  that  they  could  not  go 
to  sea.  This  style  of  junks  are  still  seen  by  the 
thousands  in  the  waters  of  Japan.  They  have 
a  single  square  sail  made  of  ten  or  twelve 
separate  breadths  strung  together  on  cords,  and 
when  the  skipper  wants  to  shorten  sail  he  draws 
up  one  or  more  of  them. 

For  200  years  the  shipping  enterprise  of  Japan 
was  suppressed,  and  it  was  not  until  1872  that 
a  merchant  ship  was  owned  in  this  country.  That 
186 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

year  the  government  purchased  several,  which 
were  intrusted  to  the  management  of  Mr.  Iwasaki 
Yataro,  and  were  the  nucleus  of  the  Mitsubishi 
Steamship  company.  Later  on  another  line 
was  established,  but  the  rivalry  proved  ruinous, 
and  in  1885  both  were  amalgamated  under  the 
name  of  the  Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha.  In  1878 
these  two  companies  and  other  private  owners 
controlled  a  fleet  of  over  two  hundred  small 
coasters. 

The  government  has  been  very  liberal  and 
enterprising  in  its  encouragement  of  the  mer- 
chant marine,  and  has  fostered  its  development 
by  liberal  subsidies.  Sailors  are  trained  at  gov- 
ernment expense,  not  only  for  the  navy  but  for 
the  merchant  service,  in  both  engineering  and 
navigation.  The  number  of  graduates  up  to 
last  year  was  over  1,100,  of  whom  fifty-four  are 
now  the  commanders  of  steamers. 

What  is  known  as  the  Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha 
(Japan  Mail  Steamship  company)  is  a  very  ex- 
tensive corporation  owned  by  Japanese  capital- 
ists, with  a  subsidy  of  $880,000  a  year  from  the 
government,  and  special  privileges  of  great  value 
in  the  way  of  exemption  from  harbor  dues  and 
other  charges.  It  has  a  monopoly  of  the  coast- 
ing trade,  and  regular  connections  with  all  the 
Chinese  ports  as  far  south  as  Hong  Kong,  and 
to  Korea,  Siberia,  Formosa  and  the  islands  of 
the  Asiatic  coast. 

187 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

It  has  a  very  large  fleet  of  ships,  which  has 
been  considerably  augmented  during  the  recent 
war  with  vessels  purchased  with  funds  loaned  or 
at  least  furnished  by  the  government.  They 
number  from  eighty  to  ninety,  from  little  stern- 
wheelers  and  tugboats  to  fine  new  ships  of  5,000 
tons.  Most  of  their  ships  were  formerly  com- 
manded by  Englishmen  and  Americans  and 
most  of  their  chief  engineers  were  Irish  and 
Scotch  until  recently,  but  the  managers  are 
gradually  getting  rid  of  their  foreign  employes 
and  filling  their  places  with  natives  as  the  latter 
gain  competency  by  experience.  This  corpora- 
tion has  a  monopoly  of  the  government  business, 
and  that  alone  would  permit  it  to  pay  good  div- 
idends with  the  very  liberal  subsidy.  It  is, 
therefore,  a  popular  and  profitable  corporation. 

At  the  semi-annual  meeting  of  the  Yusen 
Kaisha  last  July  the  annual  report  of  the  treas- 
urer showed  a  profit  of  $288,647  during  the  last 
six  months,  which  was  much  lower  than  for  the 
previous  six  months  because  of  the  falling  off  of 
business  from  the  government  toward  the  close 
of  the  war.  The  total  for  the  year  was  $685,910 
net  profit,  from  which  an  annual  dividend  of  10 
per  cent,  or  $440,000,  was  paid  on  the  capital 
stock  of  $4,400,000.  The  balance  went  to  the 
reserve  fund.  The  report  shows  that  last  year 
fifty-seven  large  steamers  were  employed,  with  a 
total  of  111,342  registered  tonnage  and  twenty- 
188 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

one  steamers  of  57,263  tons  were  chartered  for 
extra  service  during  the  war.  The  company  also 
owns  several  small  steamers  for  harbor  service 
and  navigation  on  the  Inland  sea.  Their  ves- 
sels made  603  voyages  last  year,  aggregating 
481,108  miles,  and  199  voyages  were  made 
by  chartered  vessels,  aggregating  281,073  miles. 
The  service  covered  the  entire  Asiatic  coast 
and  the  adjacent  islands  from  Bombay,  India, 
to  Vladivostock,  Siberia.  The  company  pur- 
chased or  built  five  steamers  of  a  total  of 
14,579  tons  and  two  of  twenty-seven  tons  last 
year.  Only  one  of  their  vessels  met  with  an  ac- 
cident, striking  a  submerged  rock  and  being 
badly  damaged,  but  it  was  afterward  raised  and 
repaired  and  is  now  in  service. 

The  stock  of  the  company,  which  is  divided 
into  shares  of  50  yen  each,  was  quoted  from  58 
to  82  on  'change  during  the  year,  the  average 
price  being  76. 

During  the  year  1895  the  entire  shipping  of 
Japan  was  increased  by  seventy-seven  steamers, 
built  in  the  empire  or  purchased  in  foreign  coun- 
tries, showing  a  total  increase  in  the  tonnage  of 
123,111,  of  which  41,384  tons  belong  to  the 
government,  mostly  men-of-war. 

For  the  'rikisha,  which  is  the  greatest  blessing 

travelers  in  the  east  enjoy,  we  have  to  bless  an 

American  sailor  who  visited  there  on  Commodore 

Perry's  flagship  in  1858,  and  then  returned  seven  or 

189 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

eight  years  later  as  a  missionary  of  the  Baptist 
persuasion.  His  name  was  Jonathan  Gobel, 
and  he  is  mentioned  in  Commodore  Perry's  nar- 
rative as  a  pious  man  of  rare  intelligence,  who 
took  great  interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
Japanese.  Gobel  was  one  of  the  earliest  mem- 
bers of  what  was  known  as  the  Newton  mission, 
a  system  of  evangelical  work  inaugurated  very 
soon  after  Japan  was  opened  to  foreigners  by  a 
Connecticut  gentleman  of  that  name. 

The  jinrikisha  is  another  illustration  of  the 
old  adage  that  necessity  is  the  mother  of  inven- 
tion, for  Brother  Gobel  was  afflicted  with  rheu- 
matism in  his  later  years  and  found  it  difficult 
navigate.  The  sedan  chair  which  was  used  by 
the  nobility  was  too  close  for  him,  and  the  kago, 
a  vehicle  in  which  the  humbler  classes  were  in  the 
habit  of  carrying  the  lame  and  the  lazy,  was  very 
uncomfortable  for  his  long  legs,  so  he  took  a 
packing-case,  painted  it  black,  as  appropriate  to 
his  vocation,  and  set  it  upon  a  pair  of  wheels. 
For  shelter  from  the  sun  he  rigged  a  canvas 
awning  that  could  be  raised  or  lowered  accord- 
ing to  his  convenience,  and  he  hired  a  brawny 
coolie  to  haul  him  about.  That  was  the  origin 
of  the  vehicle  which  takes  the  place  of  carriages 
and  street  cars  in  Japan,  Korea,  India  and  China, 
for  Brother  Gobel's  invention  has  spread  all  over 
that  coast.  So  useful  an  invention  needed  a  good 
name,  therefore  Brother  Gobel  called  it  a  jin  (man) 
190 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

ricki  (power)  sha  (carriage).  But  the  swells  pre- 
fer to  term  it  a  kururaa.  It  looks  like  an  exag- 
gerated baby  carriage  and  is  very  comfortable 
for  riding. 

Jonathan  Gobel  was  a  muscular  Christian. 
He  feared  God  and  lived  a  righteous  life.  He 
desired  every  one  else  to  do  so,  and,  when  moral 
suasion  failed,  he  often  tried  force.  When  he 
arrived  in  Japan  he  was  a  stalwart,  powerful  fel- 
low, and  usually  came  out  uppermost  when  he 
wrestled  with  sin.  He  was  living  in  Kanagawa 
when  he  endeavored  to  impress  upon  the  people 
of  that  place  the  propriety  of  Sabbath  observ- 
ance. The  Japanese  have  no  Sunday.  They 
have  no  fixed  day  of  rest.  Their  holidays  are 
numerous,  and  worship  continues  without  inter- 
ruption in  the  temples.  There  is  no  particular 
time  for  preaching,  and  it  is  always  proper  to 
pray.  Therefore  every  native  worked  seven  days 
in  the  week.  Brother  Gobel  admonished  the 
people  of  the  sinfulness  of  Sabbath  breaking, 
but  he  was  unable  to  convince  them  and  it 
grieved  his  heart. 

Passing  from  his  home  to  his  place  of  preach- 
ing one  Sunday  he  found  a  dozen  men  or  more 
engaged  in  building  a  house.  He  stopped  to 
talk  with  them  and  entreated  them  to  cease  their 
sinful  labor.  They  refused  to  do  so.  He  or- 
dered them  to  stop  and  they  declined.  Then, 
seizing  a  heavy  bamboo  pole,  he  smote  them  hip 
191 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

and  thigh.  Several  were  laid  out  senseless,  and 
the  next  morning  Brother  Jonathan  was  a  pris- 
oner before  the  consul-general,  charged  with 
aggravated  assault  and  battery.  This  case  ap- 
pears as  one  of  the  first  in  the  records  of  the 
United  States  consulate,  and  is  set  forth  with 
amusing  details.  The  missionary  pleaded  "guilty 
with  strong  provocation,"  and  was  put  under 
bonds  to  keep  peace. 

Mr.  Gobel  afterward  built  himself  a  modern 
house  on  what  is  known  as  "the  Bluff,"  south  of 
Yokohama,  and  surrounded  his  grounds  with 
the  first  fence  that  was  ever  built  in  that  part  of 
the  world.  It  was  made  of  bamboo  palings,  and 
the  boys  in. the  neighborhood  used  to  annoy  the 
good  missionary  greatly  by  rattling  sticks  against 
it  as  they  ran  along  the  street.  The  British  ad- 
miral lived  just  above  him  and  had  a  very  natty 
Tommy  Atkins  for  an  orderly.  He  wore  a  little 
round  cap  on  the  northeast  corner  of  his  head 
and  always  carried  a  little  cane  of  rattan  in  his 
hand.  One  morning,  having  been  sent  with  a 
message,  he  appeared  before  the  admiral  with 
his  face  bruised  to  a  jelly  and  his  uniform  tat- 
tered and  torn  and  covered  with  dust. 

"Mercy  on  us!"  exclaimed  the  admiral,  in 
astonishment  at  the  spectacle,  "what  has  hap- 
pened to  you?" 

"I  beg  your  parding,  sir,"  replied  Tommy, 
"but,  has  I  was  coming  halong  hup  the  'ill 
192 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

a-rubbing  my  stick  hagainst  the  missionary's 
fence,  sir,  'e  came  hout  in  'is  pyjamas  and  said 
as  'ow  'e  'ad  vowed  by  the  grace  of  God  to  lick 
the  'ide  hoff  the  next  man  who  did  that,  and  'e 
'as  done  it,  sir." 

The  'rikishas  are  all  made  in  Japan,  and  a 
large  number  are  exported  to  the  neighboring 
countries.  They  cost  from  $17  to  $40,  accord- 
ing to  the  care  bestowed  on  their  construction, 
the  material  used  and  the  character  of  their 
decoration,  but  they  could  not  be  made  for  more 
than  twice  that  money  in  the  United  States. 
Many  of  them  are  owned  by  the  coolies  who 
draw  them,  others  by  companies  of  private  indi- 
viduals who  let  them  to  the  coolies  tof  a  share  of 
the  money  they  make.  You  can  hire  them  by 
the  week  for  5  yen  ($2.50),  by  the  day  for  75 
sen  (37^  cents),  10  sen  (5  cents)  an  hour  for 
ordinary  service  or  10  sen  for  a  trip  of  not  more 
than  two  miles. 

The  system  of  operating  them  is  very  much 
like  that  in  use  by  our  hackmen  at  home.  Each 
'rikisha  man  has  his  name  aud  number  upon  his 
hat  and  his  lantern.  He  is  registered  at  police 
headquarters  and  pays  a  small  tax  to  the  gov- 
ernment. Those  that  are  attached  to  the  tour- 
ists' hotels  are  required  to  pay  a  small  percentage 
for  the  privilege,  as  they  get  more  patronage 
and  many  fees  that  do  not  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
ordinary  man  on  the  street. 

193 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

They  wear  a  loose  tunic  and  tights  of  blue  or 
white  cotton  cloth  that  reach  not  quite  to  the 
knees,  and  are  often  entirely  barelegged  in  the 
hot  months  of  the  summer.  Sometimes  on  a 
hot  day  when  he  has  to  go  into  the  country  your 
'rikisha  man  will  strip  down  to  a  breech-clout. 
On  his  head  he  wears  a  hat  of  woven  bamboo, 
covered  with  canvas,  that  is  the  shape  of  an  in- 
verted wash-bowl,  and  on  his  feet  a  pair  of 
"waraji,"  or  sandals  woven  of  rice  straw,  that 
cost  less  than  half  a  cent.  They  are  made  in 
every  village  and  in  almost  every  farmhouse, 
and  the  coolie  usually  has  two  or  three  pairs 
strapped  to  the  axle  of  his  'rikisha,  as  they  wear 
out  rapidly  on  the  gravel  of  the  roads.  In  win- 
ter he  goes  barefooted,  just  as  he  does  in  the 
summer,  with  nothing  but  his  "waraji  "  to  pro- 
tect his  flesh  from  the  snow. 

The  'rikisha  men  are  very  remarkable  for 
their  endurance  and  many  of  them  for  their 
speed.  I  once  rode  twenty  miles  in  less  than 
three  hours  over  a  country  road  that  had  some 
long  hills,  and  at  the  end  of  the  journey  there 
was  scarcely  a  sign  of  weariness  among  the  sev- 
eral 'rikisha  men  in  our  party.  It  is  customary 
and  proper  on  these  long  rides  to  take  two  men. 
One  of  them  works  in  the  shafts  and  the  other 
assists  by  pulling  on  a  rope  made  fast  around 
his  shoulders,  or  pushes  from  behind  when  the 
road  is  hilly.  They  will  go  fifty  or  sixty  miles  a 
194 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

day  for  weeks  at  a  time,  and  keep  a  gait  of  six 
miles  an  hour,  but  they  expect  to  have  one 
hour's  rest  in  three.  They  will  travel  farther 
and  faster  and  with  less  fatigue  than  the  ordi- 
nary road  horse.  Their  gait  is  an  even  trot, 
with  the  head  and  shoulders  inclined  forward. 

The  comfort  of  the  passenger  depends  very 
much  upon  the  way  the  shafts  are  held.  If  they 
are  too  high  or  too  low  he  tires  easily,  but  when 
the  coolie  gets  accustomed  to  your  most  com- 
fortable posture  he  will  accommodate  his  shafts 
to  it  and  you  ride  with  less  fatigue  than  in  any 
carriage. 

The  coolies  are  always  amiable  and  happy ; 
they  never  get  cross  or  stubborn,  and  they  take 
great  interest  in  their  passengers.  Some  of 
them  can  speak  a  little  English  and  make  des- 
perate efforts  to  explain  and  point  out  objects 
of  curiosity  along  the  road.  Iba,  who  hauled 
me  around,  lived  for  a  time  in  Chicago,  and  ac- 
quired a  meager  command  of  the  dialect  spoken 
there,  which  he  finds  very  useful.  Whenever  a 
Chicago  man  arrives  at  the  hotel  Iba  in  some 
way  finds  him  out  and  an  esprit  de  corps  is  estab- 
lished immediately  on  a  basis  of  fellow  citizen- 
ship. 

Gambling  is  prohibited  in  Japan  under  a 
heavy  penalty.  No  gambling  houses  are  allowed 
to  exist  on  that  island.  Games  of  chance  are  al- 
ways interrupted  and  suppressed  by  the  police, 
195 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

and  although  they  cannot  entirely  eradicate  the 
vice  or  prevent  its  practice  in  the  clubs  of  the 
higher  classes  or  in  the  huts  of  the  coolies,  the 
punishment  of  those  detected  is-  so  severe  that 
it  is  less  common  than  in  any  other  country. 

One  day  while  we  were  climbing  a  long  hill 
on  the  twenty-mile  journey  I  have  referred  to, 
we  saw  a  city  'rikisha  man  squatting  on  the 
ground  ahead  of  us  trying  to  interest  some  in- 
nocent looking  countrymen  in  what  looked  like 
a  thimble-rig  game.  He  had  spread  a  mat  upon 
the  ground  and  had  some  cubes  of  wood  and 
little  boxes  which  he  was  manipulating  in  a  way 
that  excited  great  interest  in  the  group  around 
him. 

The  'rikisha  man  who  led  our  party  tried 
faithfully  to  give  him  a  signal,  for  we  had  a 
detective  with  us.  But  the  coolie  was  so  inter- 
ested in  his  game  that  he  did  not  notice  the 
warnings  or  perceive  his  danger  until  the  officer 
was  almost  abreast  of  him.  Then  he  gave  a 
shriek  of  alarm  and  started  down  the  hill  at  a 
gait  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  thorough- 
bred race  horse,  leaving  his  paraphernalia  upon 
the  ground  and  his  'rikisha  in  the  gutter.  The 
detective  made  a  thrust  at  him  with  the  sword 
cane  he  carried,  but  the  blow  fell  short,  and  he 
passed  on  without  giving  the  matter  any  further 
attention;  but  he  told  us  afterward  that  if  he  had 
been  going  toward  the  town  instead  of  away 
196 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

from  it  he  would  have  arrested  the  man,  whose 
penalty  would  have  been  at  least  two  months  in 
jail  and  a  fine  of  $10,  which  is  equal  to  three 
months'  pay. 

Some  of  the  'rikisha  coolies  are  quite  elabo- 
rately tattooed.  The  art  of  tattooing  has  reached 
its  highest  stage  in  Japan,  and  some  of  the  spec- 
imens one  sees  on  the  street  are  quite  elaborate 
and  artistic.  Like  everything  else,  the  work  is 
cheaply  done.  You  can  have  a  beautiful  pic- 
ture in  colors  tattooed  upon  your  back  or  breast 
that  will  last  a  lifetime  for  $2  or  $3,  and  a  skill- 
ful artist,  will  place  an  indelible  portrait  of 
your  lady  love  on  your  arm  at  about  the  cost 
of  an  ordinary  photograph  at  home. 

The  wrestlers  and  the  jinrikisha  men  of  Japan 
upset  all  of  the  popular  theories  regarding  train- 
ing and  diet.  The  wrestlers  are  the  greatest 
gluttons  in  the  world.  They  eat  enormously  of 
all  forms  of  food — whatever  is  offered  them — 
mostly  vegetables  and  fish.  They  seldom  eat 
meat,  and  when  they  do  they  swallow  it  as  they 
do  their  rice,  without  chewing  it.  They  drink 
beer,  sake,  whisky  and  every  other  kind  of  liquor 
often  to  excess.  One  day  at  a  Tokyo  hotel  two 
famous  wrestlers  drank  two  quarts  of  Scotch 
whisky  with  their  dinner  without  intoxication  or 
any  other  unpleasant  results.  They  do  not  keep 
up  any  regular  training  like  prize-fighters  and 
other  athletes  in  Europe  and  the  United  States, 
197 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

but  gratify  e,very  appetite  until  they  are  satia- 
ted. 

The  jinrikisha  men,  who  are  remarkable  for 
their  endurance  and  strength,  live  more  temper- 
ate lives,  but  never  eat  meat.  They  are  strict 
vegetarians  with  the  exception  of  a  little  dried 
or  pickled  fish,  which  would  be  indigestible  in 
an  American  stomach.  They  eat  large  quanti- 
ties of  rice  and  drink  gallons  of  tea,  but  they  are 
capable  of  the  most  remarkable  endurance.  One 
night,  for  example,  a  'rikisha  man  ran  with  me 
and  my  travelling  bag  in  his  carriage  from  the 
Uyeno  railway  station  to  the  Imperial  hotel,  a 
distance  of  four  miles,  in  less  than  half  an  hour. 
They  will  travel  twenty-five  and  thirty  miles  at  a 
trot  without  stopping  to  rest.  They  will  make 
longer  distances  in  less  time  than  an  ordinary 
horse  drawing  a  heavy  load.  Their  muscles 
are  perfectly  developed,  but  they  are  usually 
slender,  while  the  wrestlers  are  very  fat.  The 
'rikisha  men  are  subject  to  heart  disease,  but 
never  to  diseases  of  the  lungs  or  rheumatism. 

They  not  only  perform  these  feats  in  winter 
as  well  as  summer,  but  they  go  about  in  snow- 
storms bare-footed  and  bare-legged,  with  noth- 
ing on  their  bodies  but  a  cotton  shirt,  a  cotton 
jacket  and  a  pair  of  cotton  trunks;  yet  their  food 
contains  no  fat  whatever  and  very  little  nitro- 
gen, although  it  is  rich  in  carbon. 

Sanitary  experts  say  that  the  ordinary  Japa- 
198 


Railways  and  'Rikishas 

nese  vegetable  food,  particularly  rice,  is  the 
most  healthy  diet  that  can  be  adopted  for 
persons  who  are  accustomed  to  a  great  deal  of 
exercise,  but  that  it  is  very  unhealthy  to  those 
who  lead  sedentary  lives.  At  the  penitentiary 
rice  and  other  food  is  served  by  weight  to  the 
prisoners.  Those  who  are  engaged  in  hard  out- 
door labor  like  building,  brickmaking  and  gar- 
dening are  given  a  full  quart  of  rice  three  times 
a  day,  while  the  potters,  lacquer-workers  and 
those  engaged  on  cloisenne  only  get  half  as 
much. 


199 


VIII 

The  Police,  the  Courts  and  the 
Prisons 

The  Japanese  policeman  is  the  most  serious 
and  dignified  person  in  existence.  He  never 
sits  on  the  cellar  stairs  and  gossips  with  the  ser- 
vant girls.  He  is  too  solemn  for  any  such  fool- 
ishness as  that,  and  is  overwhelmed  with  such  a 
sense  of  responsibility  that  he  cannot  even 
smile.  He  is  usually  a  small  and  natty  person, 
who  pays  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  his  toilet, 
and  if  he  can  raise  a  crop  of  whiskers,  which  is 
a  luxury  that  all  Japanese  gentlemen  do  not  en- 
joy, he  is  the  ideal  of  complacency  and  the 
admiration  of  all  the  old  women  and  small  boys 
in  the  neighborhood. 

There  is  no  happier  race  on  earth  than  the 
people  of  Japan.  They  are  always  making  merry, 
laughing,  smiling  and  having  a  good  time, 
whether  they  are  at  work  or  at  play.  You  never 
hear  an  angry  word.  Everybody  seems  to  be 
perfectly  amiable  and  kindly  disposed  toward 
all  humanity,  the  animal  kingdom  included,  for 
they  never  abuse  their  horses,  and  a  jinrikisha 
man  will  always  turn  out  of  his  way  rather  than 
200 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

disturb  a  dog  who  happens  to  be  snoozing  in 
the  middle  of  the  road.  When  you  hear  shouts 
they  are  shouts  of  laughter,  not  of  anger  or  dis- 
tress. Cases  of  assault  and  battery  are  very  rare 
in  the  police  court,  and  when  a  man  is  arrested 
for  disorderly  conduct  it  is  because  he  has  been 
too  joyful  in  his  cup  and  disturbs  the  peace 
with  merriment  and  not  mischief. 

But  the  policeman  contemplates  all  this  joy 
and  amusement  with  a  solemnity  that  would  do 
credit  to  an  Irish  undertaker  attending  the 
funeral  of  an  archbishop,  as  a  friend  has  said. 
He  permits  his  fellowmen  and  women  to  have  a 
good  time  as  long  as  they  do  not  interfere  with 
each  other  or  disturb  the  peace  of  the  com- 
munity, but  when  it  becomes  necessary  for  him 
to  enforce  the  law  he  does  so  with  courtesy  and 
consideration. 

He  wears  a  suit  of  blue,  with  a  short  blouse 
in  the  winter  with  a  cap  to  match,  and  in  the 
summer  a  suit  of  immaculate  white  duck,  which 
is  fresh  every  morning.  His  cap  is  of  the  same 
material,  cut  after  the  pattern  that  is  common 
among  American  yachtmen.  He  always  wears 
white  gloves  and  carries  a  sword  instead  of  a 
club ;  but  seldom  uses  it,  because  the  respect  for 
the  majesty  of  the  law  that  is  inborn  among  the 
Japanese  usually  prevents  offenders  from  resist- 
ing arrest.  He  has  no  handcuffs,  but  carries  in 
his  pocket  a  coil  of  strong  cord  with  which  he 
20 1 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

ties  the  offender's  hands  behind  him  and  holds 
the  ends  firmly  in  his  own  grasp,  and  the  pair 
march  away  to  the  police  station  tandem  style, 
with  the  offender  about  four  feet  ahead,  and  the 
policeman  followed  by  a  crowd  of  coolies  and 
small  boys  and  girls,  every  one  of  them  with 
babies  strapped  on  their  backs. 

An  arrest  is  such  a  serious  and  important 
event  that  business  is  practically  suspended  in 
the  neighborhood  for  the  next  hour  or  more, 
while  the  merchants  discuss  it  with  their  custom- 
ers and  everybody  else  on  the  block,  and  express 
their  views  as  to  the  penalty  the  prisoner  ought 
or  is  likely  to  suffer.  There  are  little  precinct 
station  houses  at  frequent  intervals ;  neat  little 
boxes  with  just  room  enough  for  a  clerk  and  his 
desk,  with  a  telephone  in  the  corner  and  a  big 
book,  in  which  a  record  of  business  is  kept  with 
the  most  minute  care  and  accuracy.  When  the 
prisoner  is  brought  in  the  officer  who  arrested 
him  turns  in  a  report  naming  the  witnesses  and 
such  details  as  he  has  gained.  Then  the  pris- 
oner is  allowed  to  make  a  statement  in  explan- 
ation and  give  the  names  of  persons  who  will 
testify  in  his  behalf.  He  is  then  taken  to 
the  nearest  calaboose  or  prison  of  detention 
to  await  his  trial,  which  will  take  place  as  soon 
as  the  parties  concerned  can  be  summoned.  No 
bail  is  allowed  unless  the  inquiry  is  likely  to  be 
carried  over  several  days. 
202 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

Meantime  the  clerk  at  the  station  has  tele- 
phoned headquarters,  and  a  detective  is  sent  out 
to  make  an  investigation  and  summon  the  wit- 
nesses to  appear  forthwith  at  the  courtroom, 
where  judges  are  always  in  attendance  ready  to 
do  business  between  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing and  eight  o'clock  at  night.  No  lawyers  are 
allowed  except  in  extraordinary  cases,  when  the 
defendant  is  deaf  and  dumb,  or  idiotic,  or  for 
any  reason  is  unable  to  give  an  account  of  him- 
self. 

The  courts  of  Japan  are  not  intended  for  lit- 
igation nor  for  the  exhibition  of  legal  acquire- 
ments and  oratory.  They  exist  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  the  truth  and  administering 
justice.  The  judge  examines  all  the  witnesses 
himself,  and  when  he  finds  out  the  facts  he  pro- 
nounces the  penalty,  which  is  usually  more 
severe  for  similar  offenses  than  it  is  with  us.  He 
can  send  the  offender  to  jail  or  to  the  peniten- 
tiary or  to  the  house  of  correction.  There  is  no 
grand  jury  and  no  appeal  except  where  the 
accused  has  committed  a  serious  crime.  Then 
he  is  cited  to  a  higher  court  and  is  tried  imme- 
diately— just  as  soon  as  the  police  authorities 
are  able  to  find  the  necessary  witnesses. 

If  the  offense  is  only  a  misdemeanor  the 
police  judge  disposes  of  the  case  finally  accord- 
ing to  his  own  judgment  and  discretion  upon 
the  evidence  submitted.  Nor  is  there  ever  any 
203 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

dispute  over  the  admissibility  of  evidence.  The 
object  being  to  ascertain  the  truth,  the  judge 
examines  everybody  who  knows  anything  about 
the  case,  whether  it  is  direct  or  hearsay  testimony. 
He  is  supposed  to  be  strictly  impartial,  and 
weighs  the  evidence  in  his  own  mind,  giving  due 
allowance  to  passions  and  prejudices  and  the 
relations  of  witnesses.  He  is  supposed  to  know 
that  a  wife  or  a  mother  will  present  the  most 
favorable  side  of  the  controversy,  and  that  an 
enemy  will  do  everything  he  can  to  injure. 

The  prisoner  is  allowed  to  make  a  statement 
for  himself  or  through  some  friend  or  attorney, 
but  if  he  is  a  man  of  intelligence  the  court  usu- 
ally exercises  its  discretion  and  requires  him  to 
speak  for  himself.  If  the  offense  is  a  felony  the 
defendant  is  sent  directly  to  a  higher  court  hav- 
ing jurisdiction  over  such  crimes  without  pre- 
liminary trial,  and  is  prosecuted  by  the  official 
procurator,  who  is  prosecuting  attorney  and 
grand  jury  combined. 

A  person  who  has  suffered  injury  by  crime 
makes  complaint  at  a  police  station  or  to  the 
procurator,  when  a  warrant  is  issued  upon  his 
affidavit  and  the  arrest  is  made.  Bail  is  allowed 
at  the  discretion  of  the  court  upon  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  procurator.  The  accused  is 
allowed  the  benefit  of  counsel,  but  the  judge 
alone  can  examine  witnesses. 

The  detective  service  of  Japan  is  admirable, 
204 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

and  is  inherited  from  the  days  of  despotism, 
when  it  was  necessary  for  the  shogun  to  know 
everything  that  was  going  on  among  his  subjects. 
There  are  two  distinct  detective  agencies  under 
the  government,  one  being  connected  with  the 
ordinary  police  for  the  prevention  and  punish- 
ment of  crime,  and  the  other  being  political, 
under  the  department  of  the  interior. 

The  latter  showed  its  efficiency  during  the 
late  war,  for  the  Japanese  knew  more  about  the 
Chinese  army,  its  fortresses,  its  arms  and  equip- 
ments and  the  condition  of  the  navy  than  Li 
Hung  Chang  himself.  The  agents  of  the  intel- 
ligence department  were  not  only  ingenious  and 
indefatigable,  but  a  mass  of  valuable  informa- 
tion was  received  at  headquarters  from  volunteer 
spies  and  from  persons  who  had  visited  China 
recently  and  knew  facts  of  value  to  their  govern- 
ment. 

The  intelligence  department  has  so  complete 
a  system  that  it  claims  to  be  aware  of  everything 
that  is  going  on  in  the  empire,  and  I  presume 
that  is  true,  particularly  in  politics.  The  crim- 
inal department  of  the  police  is  equally  indus- 
trious and  efficient.  In  the  first  place  every 
citizen,  man,  woman  and  child,  in  Japan  is  reg- 
istered at  police  headquarters,  with  his  residence, 
his  occupation,  and  even  the  wages  he  receives,  if 
he  is  a  workman  or  an  employe".  Whenever  he 
changes  his  abode,  his  occupation  or  his  place 
205 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

of  employment  he  is  required  to  notify  the  reg- 
istrar and  a  correction  is  made  upon  the  books. 
Every  hotel  is  required  to  report  the  arrival  and 
departure  of  its  guests  as  promptly  as  possible, 
with  the  places  they  came  from,  the  train  they 
take,  and  their  destination.  Therefore  it  is  easy 
for  the  police  to  ascertain  the  whereabouts  of 
any  person  at  any  time,  and  they  have  a  good 
starting  point  to  work  from  when  they  are  in- 
quiring into  a  case. 

Not  long  since,  for  illustration,  Mr.  Miller, 
official  interpreter  of  the  United  States  legation 
in  Tokyo,  failed  to  receive  a  letter  which  was 
sent  him  from  a  neighboring  city  with  a  draft 
inclosed,  and  he  notified  the  police.  The  de- 
tective assigned  to  the  case  began  by  ascertain- 
ing the  day  and  hour  when  the  letter  was  posted, 
from  which  he  could  easily  calculate  the  exact 
time  of  its  arrival  Tokyo.  By  reference  to  the 
register  at  headquarters  he  found  that  there 
were  two  persons  named  Miller  in  the  city,  al- 
though their  initials  were  different  and  they 
lived  far  apart.  The  postmen  who  served  the 
district  in  which  they  lived  were  questioned,  and 
one  of  them  remembered  delivering  a  letter  to 
the  house  of  the  wrong  Miller  on  the  date 
named.  Several  members  of  the  family  recalled 
that  such  a  letter  that  did  not  belong  to  them 
had  been  received,  and  one  of  the  servants  re- 
ported that  she  had  handed  it  to  a  peddler  who 
206 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

had  agreed  to  put  it  in  the  nearest  post  box  and 
save  her  the  trouble.  The  peddler  was  found 
and  identified  by  the  servant.  His  premises 
were  searched  and  the  money  was  discovered 
concealed  under  the  matting  of  the  floor.  He 
had  forged  an  endorsement  and  got  the  draft 
cashed  by  a  merchant,  who  had  sent  it  to  his 
bank  for  collection  in  the  regular  course  of  busi- 
ness. These  facts  were  all  ascertained  and  the 
thief  was  sentenced  to  four  years'  imprisonment 
within  a  week  after  Mr.  Miller  made  his  com- 
plaint to  the  police. 

Mr.  James  R.  Morse,  of  Yokohama,  happened 
to  be  spending  the  night  with  his  friend,  Mr. 
Denison,  in  Tokyo,  when  a  sneak  thief  entered 
the  house  and  stole  his  pocketbook  containing 
$70  and  a  number  of  valuable  papers.  The 
matter  was  reported  to  the  police  in  the  morn- 
ing with  a  description  of  the  purse  and  its  con- 
tents, and  within  forty-eight  hours  the  papers 
were  recovered  and  the  thief  had  begun  a  term 
of  six  years  imprisonment  at  Ishikawa,  the  na- 
tional penitentiary. 

The  process  of  his  detection  was  very  prompt 
and  simple.  The  crime  was  reported  at  police 
headquarters  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
By  nine  the  theft  and  description  of  the  prop- 
erty had  been  telephoned  to  every  precinct  in 
the  city  and  to  all  the  suburban  towns  and  were 
known  to  every  officer  on  duty.  In  a  little  vil- 
207 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

lage  about  ten  miles  from  the  center  of  Tokyo  a 
man  entered  a  tea  house  during  the  afternoon 
and  showed  a  card  upon  which  Mr.  Morse's 
name  was  engraved.  Tea  houses  in  Japan  cor- 
respond with  saloons  in  the  United  States  as  re- 
sorts for  loafers  and  the  crooked  classes,  and 
the  policemen  watch  them  accordingly.  The 
nesans,  as  the  waiter  girls  are  called,  coquet  with 
the  policemen  and  often  aid  them  in  the  per- 
formance of  their  duty.  So  it  was  perfectly 
natural  for  the  policeman  on  that  beat  to  tell 
the  nesans  the  story  of  the  robbery  and  it  was 
equally  so  for  this  nesan  to  report  to  the  police- 
man about  Mr.  Morse's  card.  The  circumstance 
was  suspicious  enough  to  justify  an  arrest  and 
before  night  the  thief  was  in  the  central  station 
at  Tokyo.  He  had  the  pocketbook  and  all  the 
papers  on  his  person,  but  had  spent  the  most  of 
the  money  in  a  spree  the  night  before  and  had 
been  robbed  of  the  remainder  during  a  drunken 
stupor  that  followed. 

I  saw  a  good  deal  of  the  Japanese  detective 
corps  while  Mr.  Foster  was  in  Japan.  As  he 
had  been  connected  with  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment, and  his  face  and  name  were  so  well  known 
to  the  public  through  their  frequent  appearance 
in  the  illustrated  papers,  it  was  feared  lest  some 
fanatic  or  soshi  might  attack  him,  therefore  the 
government  without  consulting  Mr.  Foster  in- 


208 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

structed  the  police  department  to  keep  him 
under  constant  surveillance  while  he  was  in  the 
country.  All  of  the  foreign  legations  are  con- 
stantly watched  by  the  police,  and  a  detective 
with  a  jinrikisha  is  always  on  duty  opposite 
them  to  follow  members  of  the  diplomatic  corps 
wherever  they  go. 

Mr.  Foster  was  sometimes  attended  by  five 
detectives.  The  superintendent  of  police  at 
Kobe  went  with  him  as  far  as  Kyoto,  and  the 
Kyoto  superintendent  of  police  as  far  as  Nagoya, 
as  a  mark  of  respect,  and  although  he  protested 
against  these  attentions  and  assured  the  author- 
ities repeatedly  that  he  had  not  the  slightest 
apprehension  of  danger,  they  replied  that  they 
held  themselves  responsible  for  his  safety  while 
in  Japan,  and  must  insist  upon  maintaining  the 
guard.  Sometimes  while  he  was  in  Tokyo  and 
Yokohama  Mr.  Foster  succeeded  in  eluding  his 
shadows,  much  to  their  chagrin,  but  they  very 
soon  discovered  that  he  had  outwitted  them  and 
ascertained  his  whereabouts  in  some  mysterious 
manner,  which  showed  their  efficiency.  One 
night  he  slipped  out  of  the  hotel  by  the  back 
door  to  call  on  a  friend,  and  managed  to  reach 
his  destination  without  being  overtaken,  but  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  visit  as  he  was  starting 
homeward  he  found  a  half-dozen  detectives  sit- 
ting coolly  around  the  door.  How  they  discov- 


209 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

ered  his  whereabouts  is  a  mystery,  for  no  one 
knew  where  he  was  going,  and  he  left  the  hotel 
unobserved. 

As  a  rule  the  young  men  of  Japan  are  tem- 
perate and  well  behaved.  They  are  industrious, 
polite  and  particularly  deferential  to  their  elders. 
They  have  clubs  and  other  resorts,  but  tea  houses 
are  the  usual  scenes  of  dissipation.  When  a 
young  rake  wants  to  sow  a  few  wild  oats  he 
gives  a  dinner  at  a  tea  house,  provides  an  ade- 
quate supply  of  sake,  the  native  drink,  and  his 
party  sit  around  on  the  floor  with  their  food  in 
bowls  and  upon  trays  before  them  shouting 
louder  and  louder  as  their  blood  becomes  in- 
flamed with  the  liquor.  Five  or  six  geisha 
dancers  are  then  called  in  to  entertain  them 
with  songs  and  dances  and  the  proprietor  of  the 
tea  house  sends  them  home  in  'rikishas  when 
the  carousal  is  over. 

One  of  the  greatest  objections  raised  to  the 
recent  treaties  made  with  Japan  by  the  United 
States  and  European  powers  was  the  unwilling- 
ness of  foreign  residents  in  the  empire  to 
intrust  the  protection  of  their  personal  and 
property  rights  to  the  native  courts,  on  the 
ground  that  they  were  not  sufficiently  enlightened 
and  impartial  to  render  fair  and  just  judg- 
ments in  disputes  between  natives  and  for- 
eigners. Under  the  shoguns  the  legislative, 
executive  and  judicial  powers  of  the  government 
210 


TOMB   OF   ICYASU,  THE   GREAT   SHOGUN, 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

were  not  distinct,  and  various  officials  did 
not  hesitate  to  exercise  all  three,  and  settle 
all  differences  and  disputes  that  occurred  within 
their  provinces.  There  was  no  notion  of  legis- 
lative power  as  we  understand  it.  Three  hun- 
dred years  ago  leyasu,  the  great  shogun,  com- 
piled what  is  known  as  "The  One  Hundred 
Laws,"  which  related  chiefly  to  the  relations  be- 
tween the  sovereign  and  the  subject,  and  were 
considered  as  wise  as  the  utterances  of  Solomon. 
Other  affairs  were  regulated  by  custom  or  by 
decrees  of  the  emperor,  which,  however,  were 
rare.  The  shogun  had  direct  control  at  the 
capital  and  over  the  five  provinces  that  sur- 
rounded it,  and  in  the  distant  provinces  the 
feudal  princes  or  daimyos  had  absolute  authority, 
each  in  his  own  territory,  although  finally  re- 
sponsible to  the  shogun. 

The  idea  of  judicial  power  was  feebly  devel- 
oped and  was  limited  almost  exclusively  to  crim- 
inal jurisdiction.  There  were  criminal  courts, 
but  no  civil  courts.  There  were  two  departments 
of  police  called  gyo-bu-sho  and  danp-dai.  The 
minister  of  justice  exercised  supervision  over 
ordinary  criminal  affairs,  heard  appeals  from  the 
criminal  courts,  appointed  all  the  judges,  and 
often  instructed  them  how  to  decide  if  they  were 
in  doubt  or  if  there  were  any  political  significance 
to  the  case.  He  had  power  also  to  remove  them 
at  will,  according  to  their  behavior,  so  that  the 
211 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

limited  judicial  system  of  the  empire  was  actual- 
ly under  despotic  control. 

The  gyo-bu-sho  were  the  city  police,  respon- 
sible for  public  order,  the  public  health,  the 
suppression  of  crime  and  the  protection  of  prop- 
erty. 

The  danp-dai  were  political  police,  and  con- 
sisted of  a  very  closely  organized  corps  of  in- 
spectors, who  looked  after  the  integrity  and 
efficiency  of  public  officials,  saw  that  the  taxes 
were  properly  collected  and  honestly  expended 
and  investigated  charges  of  disloyalty  among 
the  people.  There  is  a  similar  institution  in 
nearly  every  civilized  country,  but  in  Japan,  un- 
der the  shogun,  the  secret  police  were  remarka- 
bly active  and  efficient. 

With  other  reforms  adopted  by  the  govern- 
ment after  the  restoration  of  the  mikado's  power 
the  French  system  of  jurisprudence  was  intro- 
duced, with  a  minister  of  justice  at  its  head,  who 
exercises  functions  similar  to  those  of  the  corre- 
sponding officer  in  France.  The  government  is 
represented  in  the  courts  by  procurators,  who 
are  inspectors,  grand  juries  and  prosecuting  at- 
torneys in  all  matters  which  concern  the  public 
welfare.  They  initiate  all  criminal  proceedings 
and  conduct  them  down  to  the  execution  of  the 
sentence.  As  in  France,  the  judge  not  only 
presides  in  court  but  conducts  the  trials.  The 
lawyers  have  very  little  part  in  them.  The  de- 
212 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

fendant  in  a  criminal  case,  or  either  party  to  a 
civil  proceeding,  may  employ  counsel  to  advise 
him  and  appear  with  him  in  court.  The  counsel 
may  not,  however,  examine  witnesses  or  take  any 
other  part  in  the  proceedings  except  to  make 
statements  of  facts  in  behalf  of  their  clients  and 
deliver  arguments  pointing  out  to  the  court  the 
favorable  portions  of  the  testimony  and  citing 
appropriate  precedents  and  sections  of  law.  If 
the  lawyer  thinks  the  court  is  not  getting  at  the 
kernel  of  the  case  from  the  witnesses  he  may  sug- 
gest questions,  writing  them  on  a  slip  of  paper  and 
passing  them  up  to  the  judge,  who  may  use  his 
discretion  in  putting  them  to  the  witness,  but 
the  attorney  cannot  entrap  or  confuse  a  witness, 
nor  object  to  any  line  of  testimony  that  the 
judge  desires  to  pursue. 

By  many  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  Japan  this 
is  considered  the  weak  spot  in  the  system.  There 
are  practically  no  rules  of  evidence ;  no  distinc- 
tion is  made  between  direct  and  hearsay  or  direct 
and  circumstantial  evidence.  The  object  of  the 
court  is  to  obtain  as  much  information  as  it  can 
concerning  the  matter  at  issue,  and  every  fact 
bearing  upon  the  case  is  adduced,  from  whatever 
source  it  comes,  although  husband  and  wife,  par- 
ents and  children,  masters  and  servants  may  not 
be  compelled  to  testify  against  each  other.  The 
judge  is  then  supposed  to  weigh  the  evidence  in 
his  own  mind,  making  proper  allowances  for 
213 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

partiality  and.  prejudice,  and  to  reach  a  conclu- 
sion as  to  the  truth.  But  this  plan  is  based  upon 
the  assumption  that  the  judges  are  wise,  discreet 
and  familiar  with  human  nature,  which  is  not 
always  true. 

And  if  there  is  no  written  law  to  cover  a  case 
the  judge  is  supposed  to  exercise  his  common 
sense,  being  governed  in  a  measure  also  by  the 
customs  of  the  country  and  previous  decisions 
that  may  be  regarded  as  precedents.  Legisla- 
tion has  been  abundant  since  parliament  was  in- 
troduced in  Japan.  In  fact,  many  people  think 
it  has  been  excessive.  A  gentleman  who  has 
been  here  many  years  and  has  witnessed  the  de- 
velopment of  Japan,  remarked:  "The  leaders 
of  the  reform  here  have  seemed  to  think  that 
schools  and  acts  of  parliament  were  all  that  were 
necessary  to  redeem  and  regenerate  this  country. 
The  result  has  been  over-education  and  an  enor- 
mous amount  of  legislation  which  is  ambiguous 
and  contradictory." 

But  there  are  codes  in  preparation  which 
simplify  complications,  harmonize  contradictions 
and  clear  up  ambiguities. 

Many  of  the  present  judges  were  trained  in 
the  feudal  courts  under  the  shoguns.  They  have 
mature  age,  experience  and  a  thorough  acquaint- 
ance with  Japanese  human  nature,  and  in  crim- 
inal cases  are  said  to  give  better  satisfaction  than 
the  younger  generation  of  the  judiciary,  who 
214 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

have  graduated  at  the  Imperial  university  or 
from  law  schools  in  Europe  and  America.  The 
university,  curiously  enough,  has  three  depart- 
ments of  law.  One  based  upon  English,  one 
upon  French  and  one  upon  German  jurispru- 
dence. There  are  also  private  law  schools,  one 
having  as  many  as  2,500  students. 

The  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  court  is  ap- 
pointed by  the  emperor  for  his  learning,  his 
ability  and  other  special  qualifications.  The 
remaining  seats  upon  the  bench  down  to  the 
lowest  grade  are  filled  by  competitive  examina- 
tions and  promotion.  Every  year  a  commission, 
composed  of  the  chief  justice,  a  representative 
of  the  department  of  justice,  two  or  three  pro- 
fessors from  the  law  schools  and  such  members 
of  the  higher  judiciary  as  may  be  designated, 
sits  for  the  examination  of  candidates  for  the 
bench.  Graduates  of  the  law  department  of  the 
Imperial  university  and  recognized  institutions 
in  foreign  countries  are  eligible  upon  applica- 
tion and  are  put  through  a  very  severe  series  of 
tests  to  ascertain  their  learning  and  fitness. 
Those  who  attain  a  certain  standard  are  certified 
to  the  minister  of  justice  and  are  appointed  by 
him  as  probationary  judges.  They  have  no 
regular  duties  on  the  bench,  and  are  allowed  to 
continue  the  practice  of  law,  but  are  called  upon 
whenever  necessary  to  assist  the  regular  judges 
in  the  performance  of  their  duties,  to  act  as  sub- 
215 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

stitutes  when,  temporary  vacancies  occur  and 
often  have  cases  referred  to  them  for  investiga- 
tion in  chambers  when  the  regular  courts  are 
crowded  with  business.  They  also  exercise  func- 
tions similar  to  those  of  masters  in  chancery, 
commissioners  and  notaries  public.  In  other 
words,  they  are  apprentices  in  the  judiciary  sys- 
tem for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  practical  ex- 
perience before  assuming  the  responsibilities  of 
regular  judges. 

Most  of  them  have  only  a  theoretical  educa- 
tion and  are  entirely  without  experience  at  the 
bar.  When  a  vacancy  occurs  on  the  bench  it  is 
filled  by  promotion,  after  a  severe  examination 
of  candidates,  from  the  next  lowest  grades,  and 
vacancies  in  the  very  lowest  grade  are  filled  by 
competitive  examination  among  the  probation- 
aries.  In  this  examination  a  man's  record  is 
always  carefully  investigated,  and  many  of  the 
lower  judges  whose  decisions  have  been  fre- 
quently overruled  by  the  higher  courts  do  not 
dare  appear  as  candidates  for  promotion  lest 
they  be  rejected. 

All  judges  are  appointed  for  life  or  good  be- 
havior, and  are  removable  only  after  trial  by 
impeachment  before  a  court  of  their  superiors. 
Their  salaries  are  amazingly  small.  The  chief 
justice  receives  8',ooo  yen,  which  is  equivalent  to 
$4,000.  His  associates  in  the  Supreme  court 
receive  but  5,000  yen.  The  next  lower  grade, 
216 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

which  corresponds  to  our  federal  circuit  judges, 
are  paid  4,000  yen,  and  the  others  proportion- 
ately less  down  to  the  lowest  grade,  where  the 
salaries  are  only  700  yen  or  $350  a  year.  The 
probationaries  do  not  receive  a  regular  salary, 
but  are  paid  by  the  job,  usually  5  yen  a  day  for 
the  time  they  are  employed. 

The  judiciary  does  not  rank  as  high  socially 
as  members  of  the  military  and  naval  service — 
nor  in  fact  do  any  of  the  civil  functionaries.  A 
sergeant  of  marines  outranks  a  school  teacher, 
and  the  champion  wrestler  is  regarded  in  public 
opinion  as  a  greater  man  than  a  successful  poet, 
author  or  artist.  Nor  are  marks  of  distinction 
conferred  upon  members  of  the  bar.  The  sons 
of  gentlemen  look  down  upon  professional  ca- 
reers and  prefer  to  seek  positions  in  the  naval 
and  military  service  or  in  the  executive  depart- 
ment of  the  government. 

The  judiciary  is,  however,  absolutely  free 
from  interference  by  the  executive  and  legisla- 
tive branches.  There  was  a  rather  interesting 
controversy  not  long  ago  between  the  minister 
of  justice  and  a  judge  of  the  court  at  Nagasaki 
who  was  transferred  to  the  Loochoo  islands  with- 
out consultation.  He  refused  to  go  on  the 
ground  that  the  law  stipulates  that  judges  shall 
serve  for  life  in  the  districts  to  which  they  are 
originally  assigned,  except  upon  application, 
whereupon  the  minister  of  justice  suspended  him. 
217 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

He  appealed  to  the  prime  minister  and  de- 
manded an  investigation,  which  was  granted, 
but  before  it  took  place  he  relieved  the  govern- 
ment from  a  perplexing  controversy  by  dying  of 
typhoid  fever. 

As  I  have  observed  in  previous  chapters,  the 
Japanese  people  are  easy  to  rule.  They  are 
very  obedient  to  authority.  They  have  not  only 
been  in  a  state  of  subjection  for  centuries,  but 
each  child  from  the  moment  its  intelligence 
begins  to  develop  is  taught  respect  for  and  sub- 
mission to  the  head  of  the  family.  This  respect 
becomes  reverence  when  applied  to  the  emperor, 
who  is  the  head  of  all  families,  and  is  shared  by 
whoever  represents  him. 

The  people  are  not  litigious.  They  usually 
settle  their  affairs  among  themselves.  Nor  are 
they  quarrelsome.  They  seldom  lose  their  tem- 
pers. You  never  see  a  fight  upon  the  streets. 
They  are  the  most  amiable  nation  on  the  earth 
and  there  are  no  profane  words  in  their  language. 
But  at  the  same  time  they  are  often  exasperat- 
ing, and  an  honest  Yankee  remarked  the  other 
day  that  he  would  much  prefer  to  live  in  a  coun- 
try "  where  people  kiss  and  cuss  "  rather  than  in 
Japan,  where  they  do  neither.  They  are  great 
thieves,  and  the  most  prevalent  crimes  are  bur- 
glary, larceny,  and  obtaining  money  under  false 
pretenses.  Very  few  Japanese  firms  have  reg- 
ular solicitors,  and  they  will  not  go  to  law 
218 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

unless  compelled  to  do  so  by  unscrupulous 
opponents. 

In  Japanese  courts  there  is  always  an  air  of 
great  solemnity.  The  judges — and  in  the  higher 
courts  there  are  always  three  —  wear  gowns  of 
black,  embroidered  with  white  braid  in  peculiar 
geometric  patterns  around  the  collar  and  down 
the  front  and  back.  Each  grade  of  the  judiciary 
has  its  distinguishing  pattern,  and  the  more 
braid  you  see  on  a  judge's  gown  the  higher  his 
rank.  They  also  wear  a  cap  of  black  silk  of  a 
peculiar  pattern  that  looks  like  a  liberty  cap. 

The  lawyers  wear  similar  caps  and  gowns, 
but  with  a  different  design  in  the  ornamentation. 
Their  caps  resemble  those  of  the  Kirghis  of 
Russia,  and  have  ribbons  falling  down  behind. 
The  embroidery  indicates  the  rank  or  classifi- 
cation of  practitioners,  who  are  divided  accord- 
ing to  the  French  system,  into  solicitors,  barris- 
ters, notaries,  etc. 

When  addressing  the  court,  the  lawyers 
stand  before  small  tables  with  pens  and  ink 
upon  them  and  papers  and  books  which  they 
need  for  reference  and  bring  into  court  in  small 
satchels,  instead  of  green  bags  as  the  English 
use.  In  the  higher  courts  they  present  briefs 
and  arguments  in  writing  which  they  are  re- 
quired to  read.  The  judge  occasionally  asks 
questions,  and  the  attorneys  are  allowed  to  make 
oral  explanations,  but  they  are  expected  to  re- 
219 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

duce  their  explanations  to  writing  afterward  if 
they  have  any  important  bearing  upon  the  points 
at  issue. 

The  clerk  of  the  court  sits  at  the  right  of  the 
bench,  and  behind  him  there  is  always  a  young 
officer  in  uniform  who  is  supposed  to  represent 
the  emperor.  A  few  rude  benches  furnish  ac- 
commodations for  clients  and  spectators,  but  the 
judicial  proceedings  do  not  often  attract  a 
crowd. 

There  is  a  Bar  association  in  Japan,  but  so 
far  no  scale  of  fees  has  been  fixed  and  charges 
for  legal  services  are  very  much  lower  than  in 
the  United  States  and  Europe.  Many  lawyers 
do  not  make  more  than  fifty  cents  a  day,  the 
usual  earnings  of  a  jinrikisha  man,  and  few  of 
them  have  incomes  exceeding  $200  or  $300  a 
year.  There  are,  however,  exceptions,  as  in  the 
case  of  Mr.  Masujima,  who  has  an  extensive 
practice  among  foreigners  and  corporations, 
employs  a  large  staff  of  assistants,  and  has  an 
income  equal  to  that  of  many  of  the  fore- 
most lawyers  in  the  United  States.  There  are 
several  law  journals,  but  no  official  reports.  Mr. 
Masujima  publishes  a  digest  of  the  decisions  of 
the  higher  courts  as  a  private  enterprise. 

I  spent  a  very  pleasant  evening  in  Tokyo 

last   summer    at   the   residence    of    the    Hon. 

Miyoshi  Taizo,  the  distinguished  chief  justice 

of  the  Imperial  Supreme  court  of  Japan,  with  a 

220 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

party  of  philanthropists  who  are  contemplating 
the  organization  of  a  Prisoners'  Reform  asso- 
ciation. That  will  be  another  step  in  the  pro- 
gress of  a  nation  which,  from  the  war  previous 
to  its  recent  struggle  with  China,  brought  back 
as  trophies  more  than  3,000  human  ears,  cut 
from  the  heads  of  prisoners,  but  sent  to  Korea 
with  its  army  a  year  ago  a  regiment  of  young 
women  clad  in  a  neat  white  uniform  and  wearing 
the  well-known  broad  scarlet  emblem  upon  the 
left  sleeve  which  marks  the  members  of  the 
Society  of  the  Red  Cross.  These  "  ministering 
angels"  showed  no  distinction  in  their  attend- 
ance upon  the  wounded  of  their  own  army  and 
those  of  the  enemy,  and  the  admirable  hospital 
corps,  which  was  equipped  with  all  the  appli- 
ances that  medical  science  could  apply,  healed 
the  sick  and  bound  the  injuries  of  the  Chinese 
as  well  as  the  Japanese.  The  Chinese  army  has 
no  medical  corps  and  carries  no  medical  stores. 
As  a  distinguished  Chinaman  at  Tientsin  re- 
marked, they  found  it  less  trouble  to  get  fresh 
and  healthy  soldiers  than  to  heal  the  wounded 
and  cure  the  sick  ;  so  they  left  the  former  on 
the  battlefield  and  the  latter  lying  by  the  road- 
side as  they  fled  before  the  victorious  troops  of 
Japan. 

There  was  a  curious  story  which  I  am  told  is 
true,   that   the   emperor,   having  obtained  relief 
from  some  ailment  by  the  use  of  patent  pills 
221 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

that  were  senjt  him  from  Europe,  ordered  400 
pounds  of  that  remedy  through  a  Tientsin 
druggist,  and  shipped  them  to  Korea  to  be  dis- 
tributed among  the  Chinese  troops.  But  they 
never  reached  their  destination.  Some  skepti- 
cal or  superstitious  mandarin  had  them  dumped 
into  the  sea. 

The  reports  of  the  medical  corps  of  the  Jap- 
anese army  show  that  its  surgeons  treated  more 
sick  and  wounded  Chinese  than  Japanese  sol- 
diers ;  but  it  should  be  said  in  this  connection 
that  the  casualties  among  the  latter  were  much  less 
than  among  their  enemies.  The  actual  number 
of  Japanese  soldiers  killed  in  battle  during  the 
nine  months  of  active  hostilities  was  only  632, 
and  172  died  from  wounds.  Those  who  died 
from  disease,  mostly  cholera,  were  2,489,  so 
that  the  total  casualties  of  the  war  were  3,284. 

Chief  Justice  Miyoshi  is  a  Christian  convert, 
a  member  of  the  Congregational  church,  presi- 
dent of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  association 
and  an  active  leader  in  all  the  charitable  move- 
ments that  are  going  on  in  Japan.  He  was 
educated  in  Germany  and  England,  and  is  a 
personal  friend  of  the  emperor,  who  selected 
him  from  among  the  imperial  judiciary  for  the 
distinguished  post  he  now  adorns. 

The  present  prison  system  of  Japan  is  mod- 
eled upon  the  most  approved  of  modern  meth- 
ods for  correction  and  reform,  but  nothing  has 

222 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

thus  far  been  done  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
discharged  convicts  and  protect  them  from  the 
temptation  to  return  to  lives  of  crime.  But  it 
is  now  proposed  to  organize  a  society  for  that 
purpose,  and  an  inquiry  is  being  conducted  to 
obtain  plans  and  suggestions  from  associations 
in  other  countries  which  have  had  experience 
in  this  form  of  benevolence. 

There  are  two  great  prisons  in  Tokyo  for  the 
confinement  of  offenders  who  are  sentenced  for 
short  terms  by  the  courts  of  that  province. 
Those  who  are  condemned  for  life  or  for  more 
than  ten  years  are  sent  to  the  convict  station  in 
Yezo.  the  northern  island  of  the  empire,  where 
they  are  under  the  care  of  Christian  mission- 
aries, but  the  short-term  prisons  at  Tokyo,  and 
those  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  conducted 
upon  the  same  plan,  are  open  to  the  clergy  of 
all  religions  —  Christians,  Buddhists  and  Shin- 
toists.  The  greater  prison  of  Tokyo  is  situated 
upon  the  island  of  Ishikawa,  in  an  estuary  of 
the  bay,  south  of  the  city,  and  there  is  a  special 
prison  for  the  reformation  of  women  called 
Ichigaya  in  the  northern  portion  of  the  capital. 
The  former  is  completely  isolated  and  sur- 
rounded by  high  walls.  The  only  means  of 
reaching  it  is  by  a  boat  that  is  operated  by  the 
police  and  leaves  its  dock  at  intervals  for  the 
convenience  of  officials  and  visitors. 

When  I  visited  the  place  there  were  2,848 
223 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

men  and  boys  over  the  age  of  sixteen  serving 
sentences  ranging  from  six  months  to  ten  years. 
In  1894  there  were  3,711  names  upon  the  prison 
rolls,  many  having  been  discharged  during  the 
year.  Of  these,  1,737  had  more  or  less  educa- 
tion and  could  read  and  write  ;  1,973  were  en- 
tirely uneducated.  Those  who  had  a  regular 
occupation  numbered  3,366 ;  those  who  had 
none  were  only  345.  Those  who  owned  prop- 
erty numbered  597  ;  the  remainder  had  none. 
The  prisoners  in  confinement  were  sentenced 
for  the  following  crimes  : 

Forgery  of  coin  and  government  bank  bills       .        .  q 

Forgery  of  official  documents 8 

Forgery  of  private  documents 165 

Homicide 21 

Larceny 770 

Burglary 58 

Assault  and  battery 09 

Forfeited  bonds  to  keep  the  peace    ....  09 

Obtaining  money  under  false  pretenses         .        .        .  599 

Intruding  upon  private  premises                       ,  30 

Total 2,848 

The  prison  consists  of  thirty  or  more  de- 
tached buildings  of  a  single  story,  used  as  offices, 
workshops,  hospitals  and  dormitories.  The  lat- 
ter are  enormous  wooden  cages  made  of  square 
bars  about  four  inches  thick,  which  accommo- 
date ninety-six  convicts  each,  who  sleep  upon 
thick  quilts  called  futons,  laid  on  the  matted 
floor  in  the  ordinary  Japanese  style,  and  are 
entirely  surrounded  by  narrow  corridors  in 


224 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

which  armed  sentinels  pace  to  and  fro  inces- 
santly during  the  night.  There  is  not  an  article 
of  furniture  in  the  entire  structure,  but  every- 
thing is  as  neat  as  a  New  England  kitchen,  and 
the  unpainted  woodwork  is  polished  until  it 
shines  like  glass.  In  the  morning  the  futons 
are  rolled  up  and  stored  away  upon  a  wide  shelf 
that  hangs  around  the  walls  below  the  ceiling. 
The  sanitary  arrangements  are  perfect,  and  the 
health  reports  show  little  sickness  and  few 
deaths.  The  hospitals  are  clean  and  cheerful ; 
each  prisoner  is  required  to  take  a  hot  bath  every 
night,  and  the  food,  which  is  cooked  in  the 
common  kitchen,  is  regulated  by  dietary  rules 
established  by  a  medical  commission.  It  is  the 
ordinary  food  of  the  native  Japanese,  and  chiefly 
vegetables,  rice,  bean  soup,  preserved  fish  and 
other  wholesome  articles,  which  are  served  in 
rations.  The  prisoners  who  are  engaged  at  hard 
labor  are  furnished  twice  as  much  as  those  that 
have  sedentary  duties,  and  when  a  man  is  given 
active  employment  his  ration  is  increased. 

The  only  method  of  punishment  is  solitary 
confinement  in  a  wooden  cell,  which  can  be 
lightened  or  darkened  by  the  attendant,  accord- 
ing to  the  disposition  of  the  inmate.  Those 
who  are  refractory  are  chained  to  the  floor  and 
fed  upon  bread  and  water  until  they  are  sub- 
dued. But  the  Japanese  are  a  docile  people, 


225 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

fond  of  society  and  love  light  ;  so  that  a  few 
days  of  solitude  in  dense  darkness,  with  nothing 
to  eat  but  dry  bread,  soon  brings  the  most  stub- 
born offender  to  terms. 

The  prisoners  wear  a  uniform  of  red  cotton. 
They  are  organized  into  battalions  of  ninety-six 
and  subject  to  the  strictest  military  discipline, 
being  drilled  both  night  and  morning  to  teach 
them  obedience,  regularity  and  precision.  There 
are  a  dozen  or  more  workshops  in  which  they 
labor  nine  hours  each  day  in  various  kinds  of 
employment.  Those  who  have  trades  are  placed 
in  the  shops  where  they  can  be  most  useful. 
Those  who  have  none  are  taught  by  skillful 
superintendents.  Some  of  the  work  is  done 
under  contract  of  Tokyo  firms.  The  products 
of  non-contract  labor  are  sold  at  auction.  There 
are  machine-shops,  brick-yards,  lacquer  and 
cloisonne  shops,  furniture  and  basket  factories, 
potteries  and  various  other  mechanical  indus- 
tries, and  studios  for  decorative  art  in  which 
some  excellent  work  is  done. 

The  prisoners  are  credited  with  the  results  of 
their  labor,  and  upon  their  discharge  are  given 
in  cash  one-tenth  of  the  proceeds  of  its  sale,  so 
that  when  a  long-time  convict  is  discharged  he 
has  a  supply  of  funds  at  his  disposal  to  support 
him  until  he  can  find  honest  employment.  In 
case  a  considerable  sum  is  due  him  it  is  paid  in 


226 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

installments  by  an  agent  of  the  prison  commis- 
sion in  order  that  he  may  not  be  robbed  or  spend 
the  money  in  dissipation. 

At  the  end  of  his  term,  however,  an  adult 
convict  is  detained  six  months  in  the  prison 
unless  his  family  appear  to  reclaim  him,  and 
during  the  detention  he  wears  a  blue  uniform 
and  is  employed  at  wages  about  the  institution. 
Convicts  under  age  are  detained  until  they  reach 
their  majority  unless  their  friends  reclaim  them  in 
the  meantime.  Discharged  convicts  are  required 
to  report  at  police  headquarters  once  in  three 
months  for  a  term  of  three  years  and  give  an 
account  of  themselves,  and  give  prompt  notice  to 
the  police  whenever  they  change  their  residence 
or  place  of  employment.  If  they  fail  to  do  so 
they  are  arrested  and  punished.  Those  who 
habitually  neglect  this  requirement  are  sent 
back  to  prison  for  a  violation  of  the  law.  They 
are  really  ticket-of-leave  men  for  three  years 
after  their  discharge,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  police  never  lose  sight  of  them.  A  dis- 
charged convict  is  always  under  surveillance 
until  he  has  recovered  his  reputation  and  has 
proved  his  purpose  to  lead  an  honorable  life. 

About  two-thirds  of  the  present  inmates  of 
Ishikawa  are  old  offenders  —  habitual  criminals 
—  for  crime  in  Japan  is  almost  an  incurable  dis- 
ease, as  it  is  in  other  countries.  But  the  habitual 


227 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

offenders  are  mostly  thieves  and  swindlers,  who 
endeavor  to  make  a  living  by  their  wits.  Swind- 
ling is  the  prevailing  crime  in  Japan. 

The  woman's  prison  at  Ichigaya  is  very  much 
like  that  in  which  male  criminals  are  confined 
upon  the  island.  The  women  convicts  wear  a 
similar  uniform  and  are  treated  in  a  similar  man- 
ner. The  average  number  of  inmates  is  about 
300,  who  are  usually  sentenced  for  larceny;  and 
most  of  them  are  old  offenders.  The  officials 
say  that  it  is  difficult  to  reform  a  wicked  woman. 
They  are  employed  at  light  labor — weaving, 
spinning,  sewing  and  embroidering,  and  do 
some  very  good  work. 

The  term  "  suri "  is  used  in  Japan  to  describe 
professional  thieves,  pickpockets,  sneak  thieves, 
pocket-book  snatchers,  kleptomaniacs,  and  such 
classes  of  people.  The  total  number  of  profes- 
sional suri  entered  upon  the  dockets  of  the 
police  of  Tokyo  since  the  records  were  com- 
menced in  1884  is  1,162,  of  whom  about  five 
per  cent  are  women.  During  the  year  1894, 
494  pickpockets  and  sneak  thieves  were  arrested, 
of  whom  only  two  were  women.  The  police 
authorities  told  me  that  the  total  number  of 
suri  at  the  capital,  which  has  a  population  of 
nearly  a  million  and  a  half,  is  about  500. 

The  suri,  like  almost  every  other  occupation 
in  Japan,  are  organized  into  guilds,  which  have 


228 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

apportioned  the  city  among  its  members,  under 
the  direction  of  about  seventy  masters  of  the 
trade.  All  of  the  masters  are  ostensibly  en- 
gaged in  honest  business,  but  are  known  to  the 
police.  Most  of  them  are  grog-shop  keepers, 
but  some  are  tailors  and  small  merchants.  The 
relations  between  the  masters  and  the  disciples 
of  the  suri  began  hundreds  of  years  ago,  and 
flourished  in  the  days  of  the  Shoguns,  but  since 
the  adoption  of  the  modern  police  system  it  has 
been  more  difficult  for  them  to  preserve  it.  When 
the  disciple  brings  in  plunder,  the  master  dis- 
poses of  it  for  him,  and  serves  as  a  "  fence,"  as 
the  police  term  it  in  this  country.  When  a  thief 
is  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison  the  master 
provides  him  food,  blankets  and  other  comforts, 
and  employs  a  lawyer  and  witnesses  to  help  him 
out  of  the  scrape. 

There  is  an  underground  connection  between 
the  police  and  the  masters  of  the  suri,  by  which 
both  gain  advantages.  For  example,  the  police 
will  be  perfectly  willing  to  overlook  the  pecca- 
dillos of  small  offenders  provided  the  suri  will 
assist  them  in  apprehending  those  who  have 
committed  serious  crimes.  Reciprocity  of  this 
kind  is  carried  on  in  Japan  just  as  it  is  in  Amer- 
ica. When  a  disciple  deserts  his  chief,  and  starts 
business  on  his  own  hook,  or  when  a  thief  who 
belongs  in  one  district  poaches  on  the  preserves 


229 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

of  his  neighbgr,  or  when  a  professional  sharper 
from  the  country  comes  into  town  and  endea- 
vors to  ply  his  trade,  the  police  find  no  difficulty 
in  catching  him,  and  they  are  supposed  to  get 
their  clues  from  the  jealous  suri. 

The  suri  are  divided  into  three  classes  accord- 
ing to  the  special  lines  they  pursue.  The  Jap- 
anese who  wear  the  old-fashioned  dress — and 
ninety-nine  per  cent  of  them  still  do  so — have 
no  pockets  in  their  kimonos,  but  use  their  sleeves 
and  girdles  for  the  same  purpose.  Therefore 
the  term  pickpocket  scarcely  applies  ;  but  one 
class  of  the  suri  devote  their  talents  entirely  to 
robbing  people  on  the  streets  of  watches,  purses 
and  other  valuables  that  are  thrust  into  their 
belts  or  sleeves,  or  the  loose  bosom  of  the  kim- 
ono. The  second  class  are  sneak  thieves  that  in 
the  day  time  plunder  tea  houses  and  residences 
of  people  who  leave  valuables  exposed.  The 
third  are  those  who  hold  up  men  and  women  in 
the  street,  and  really  commit  highway  robbery. 
The  latter  are  considered  the  more  honorable. 
Japanese  pickpockets  are  very  skillful,  and  their 
dexterity  is  often  equal  to  that  of  a  sleight-of- 
hand  juggler.  Sneak  thieves  often  carry  chloro- 
form with  them,  and  then,  entering  a  house  or 
shop,  cleverly  apply  a  sponge  or  a  cloth  satu- 
rated with  the  drug  to  the  person  who  happens 
to  be  in  charge. 


230 


Police,  Courts  and  Prisons 

The  beggars  too  have  a  guild,  although  they 
are  very  few,  and  are  only  found  about  the  tem- 
ples. Their  chief  or  oyakata,  as  they  call  him, 
is  often  a  man  in  comfortable  circumstances, 
who  allots  stands  to  the  various  mendicants,  and 
receives  a  percentage  of  what  they  collect.  But 
no  one  need  be  a  beggar  in  Japan  except  from 
choice.  Those  who  stand  around  the  temples 
are  professionals  who  select  this  sort  of  employ- 
ment rather  than  do  honest  labor,  because  be- 
nevolence, being  one  of  the  highest  virtues 
recognized  by  the  Buddhist  religion,  the  wor- 
shippers who  come  and  go  throw  pennies  into 
their  boxes  not  so  much  to  benefit  them  as  to 
receive  the  credit  due  generous  alms-givers  on 
the  books  of  the  recording  angel. 

Temple  mendicants  are  sometimes  decrepid 
priests  who  are  allowed  to  take  stations,  and 
earn  their  living  in  that  way. 

Another  curious  guild  is  that  of  the  food- 
peddlers —  men  who  go  about  the  streets  selling 
vegetables,  fish  and  other  articles  of  food.  They 
are  organized  under  a  oyakata,  and  each  has  his 
streets  allotted  to  him,  outside  of  which  he  is 
not  permitted  to  sell  his  wares.  The  oyakata 
receives  a  fee  or  percentage  upon  the  sales  for 
protecting  the  peddler  with  the  police  and  pre- 
venting interference  from  outside  sources,  and 
there  being  a  large  number  of  them  they  have 


231 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

the  city  divided  into  equal  portions,  so  that  each 
may  have  his  own  jurisdiction.  Any  intruder 
from  the  outside  is  soon  made  to  feel  the  force 
of  the  guild's  resentment. 

While  these  peculiar  guilds  are  not  recog- 
nized as  lawful  by  the  authorities  they  have  the 
tacit  protection  of  the  police  because  they  are 
useful  in  preventing  collisions  between  rival 
hucksters,  and  preserving  the  peace. 


232 


IX 

Marriage  and  Divorce 

When  a  young  man  wants  to  get  married  in 
Japan  he  does  not  offer  his  heart  and  hand  to 
the  girl  he  loves,  but,  if  an  arrangement  has  not 
already  been  made  for  him  by  his  parents  with 
the  daughter  of  a  neighbor,  he  goes  to  a  discreet 
and  trusted  friend  who  is  already  married,  and 
asks  that  he  and  his  wife  act  as  "  nakodos,"  or 
go-betweens  for  him  in  this  important  matter. 
It  is  the  most  delicate  duty  one  friend  can  per- 
form for  another ;  it  is  the  highest  of  compli- 
ments to  ask  it,  as  it  is  naturally  an  evidence  of 
complete  confidence,  and  the  gentleman  and 
lady  who  undertake  it  assume  responsibilities 
that  few  people  in  America  would  care  to  accept. 
They  not  only  agree  to  find  a  suitable  partner 
for  the  aspirant  for  matrimonial  honors,  but 
remain  through  life  in  the  relation  of  godfather 
and  godmother  to  the  young  couple.  They  are 
expected  to  assist  them  if  they  get  into  difficulty 
or  suffer  misfortune,  to  promote  their  prosperity 
and  happiness  in  all  ways  possible,  and  serve  as 
a  board  of  arbitration  to  settle  disputes  that 
may  arise  in  the  family. 

233 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

But  this  responsibility  is  not  dreaded  in  Japan 
as  much  as  would  be  supposed.  People  are 
used  to  it,  and  nearly  every  gentleman  and  lady 
of  acknowledged  distinction  have  at  least  one 
and  sometimes  several  couples  under  their  care. 

As  a  rule,  in  the  upper  circles  of  society  mar- 
riages between  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
friendly  families  are  arranged  by  the  parents 
when  the  children  are  very  young,  and  a  boy 
or  girl  often  know  who  they  are  going  to  marry 
long  before  they  are  old  enough  to  understand 
the  nature  of  that  relation.  But  they  are  not 
allowed  to  associate  with  each  other.  From  in- 
fancy girls  are  taught  that  they  are  inferior  to 
their  brothers,  and  must  treat  them  with  respect 
accordingly.  A  boy  can  call  his  sister  by  a  pet 
name,  but  she  cannot  show  the  same  familiarity 
toward  him.  He  is  "Ani-san,"  which  literally 
means  "  Mr.  Brother,"  and  his  authority  cannot 
be  disputed  in  their  play.  Confucius  taught 
that  children  of  seven  years  should  be  separated, 
but  the  Japanese  are  a  little  more  liberal  than  the 
Chinese  in  this  respect,  and  boys  and  girls  play 
together  until  they  are  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age. 
After  that  their  association  is  forbidden. 

Nor  is  there  any  opportunity  for  a  boy  to 
become  acquainted  with  the  girls  of  his  father's 
set.  Therefore  courting  is  impossible,  and  the 
children  of  families  whose  houses  may  adjoin 
grow  up  as  strangers  to  each  other.  This  rule 
234 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

applies  equally  to  the  nearest  relations.  There 
can  be  no  friendship  between  young  men  and 
women.  It  is  disreputable  for  a  Japanese  young 
man  to  marry  for  love.  When  a  young  man 
and  a  young  woman  love  each  other  public  sen- 
timent places  them  very  low  in  the  scale 
of  morals. 

The  social  laws  of  Japan  require  that  people 
shall  marry  at  the  age  of  eighteen  or  nineteen, 
and  it  is  a  disgrace  for  a  man  or  a  woman  to 
remain  single  after  they  are  twenty  or  twenty- 
one.  As  a  consequence  there  are  very  few  old 
bachelors  or  old  maids  in  the  empire. 

But  a  young  man  usually  has  an  opportunity 
to  inspect  the  girl  selected  by  his  parents  or  his 
nakodos  before  an  engagement  is  decided  upon, 
and  if  either  is  dissatisfied  with  the  appearance 
of  the  other  the  arrangement  may  be  declared 
off.  This  meeting  is  called  a  "  mi-yai,"  which 
means  literally  "  mutual  seeing." 

According  to  etiquette  the  interview  may 
take  place  at  the  residence  of  the  nakodos  or  at 
the  house  of  the  young  lady's  father  ;  but  among 
the  lower  classes  a  picnic  or  a  theater  party,  a 
boat  ride  or  an  excursion  of  some  sort  serves 
the  purpose.  If  the  visit  takes  place  at  the 
house  of  the  young  lady's  father,  the  young  man 
and  his  nakodo  are  received  by  the  host  and 
salute  each  other  with  great  politeness.  A  ser- 
vant brings  a  pot  of  tea  and  materials  for 
235 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

smoking,  over  which  the  three  gentlemen  discuss 
politics,  business  matters,  the  condition  of  the 
rice  market,  the  news  from  China,  or  any  other 
indifferent  subject  for  a  while.  Then  the  host 
will  clap  his  hands  and  the  young  lady  in  inter- 
est herself  appears,  dressed  in  her  prettiest 
kimono  and  obi  and  bearing  a  tray  containing 
three  cups  and  a  pot  of  tea.  These  she  places 
upon  the  mat  in  front  of  the  guests  and  pro- 
ceeds to  serve  the  beverage  and  sweetmeats 
which  her  mother  or  a  servant  brings  after  her. 
Girls  are  trained  to  perform  this  duty  with  the 
greatest  degree  of  grace,  for  tea-pouring  is  re- 
garded as  the  highest  accomplishment  a  Japan- 
ese woman  can  acquire,  and  this  occasion  is 
naturally  of  the  greatest  importance.  She  is 
not  to  speak  unless  she  is  spoken  to,  and  the 
responsibility  of  beginning  a  conversation  with 
her  rests  upon  the  nakodo.  If  he  is  a  gentle- 
man of  tact  he  introduces  some  subject  or  asks 
some  question  that  is  calculated  to  bring  out 
whatever  conversational  powers  the  young  lady 
may  possess,  and  in  the  meantime  she  sits  upon 
her  heels  and  endeavors  to  be  as  charming  as 
possible.  The  young  man  may  engage  in  the 
conversation,  but  it  is  not  good  form  for  him  to 
address  his  remarks  to  her.  He  may  speak  to 
her  father  or  her  mother,  but  usually  remains 
entirely  silent  during  the  ordeal.  If  the  "mi- 
yai"  happens  to  be  an  excursion  or  a  theater 
236 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

party,  the  same  rule  is  observed.  He  may  look 
as  much  as  he  likes,  but  it  is  bad  manners  for 
him  to  show  the  young  lady  any  particular  at- 
tention. 

After  the  mi-yai  is  over  the  young  man  and 
his  nakodo  retire  for  consultation.  He  thinks 
the  matter  over,  and  if  he  decides  that  the  can- 
didate is  acceptable  his  parents  send  her  a  hand- 
some box  of  gifts.  Sometimes  it  contains  silks 
and  other  fabrics,  ornaments  or  jewelry,  deco- 
rative works  of  art,  and,  among  the  common 
people,  fish,  seaweed  and  delicate  forms  of  food. 
Then  the  bride's  parents  send  presents  in  re- 
turn, which  is  equivalent  to  an  engagement,  and 
an  early  day  is  selected  for  the  wedding.  If  the 
young  lady  should  happen  to  object,  which  is 
not  often  the  case,  as  she  is  guided  entirely  by 
the  wishes  of  her  parents  in  this  and  all  other 
matters,  the  nakodo  is  notified  before  an  oppor- 
tunity to  send  presents  is  given. 

When  the  day  for  the  wedding  is  selected 
the  trousseau  of  the  bride  and  several  articles 
of  household  furniture  are  sent  to  her  husband's 
home,  and  they  are  usually  exhibited  to  the 
friends  of  the  family  beforehand.  The  wedding 
gown  is  always  pure  white,  and  the  bridegroom 
is  dressed  in  a  "kamishimo" — a  peculiar  dress 
made  of  various  kinds  of  silk  in  colors  accord- 
ing to  his  rank. 

The  wedding  ceremony  takes   place  at  the 

23? 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

house  of  the  bridegroom's  parents,  and  friends 
of  both  families  are  invited  to  attend.  The  bride 
is  escorted  there  at  nightfall  by  her  parents  and 
other  members  of  her  family  and  the  nakodos, 
followed  by  servants  bearing  gifts  10  the  family 
of  the  bridegroom.  It  was  formerly  the  custom 
to  light  a  bonfire  in  front  of  the  gate  of  her 
parental  home  and  lift  her  over  it.  This  cere- 
mony signified  purification.  The  house  of  the 
bridegroom  is  usually  decorated  with  lanterns 
and  other  evidences  of  festivity,  which  draw  all 
the  people  in  that  part  of  town  to  witness  the 
bride's  arrival.  She  is  met  outside  the  entrance 
by  the  members  of  the  groom's  family,  but  he 
remains  seated  on  a  cushion  in  front  of  the  to- 
konoma,  a  shallow  recess  or  alcove  that  is  found 
in  all  Japanese  houses,  and  is  used  for  the  dis- 
play of  ornaments.  When  she  enters  the  room 
she  is  escorted  to  a  seat  beside  him.  The  nako- 
dos sit  at  his  right  and  at  her  left  are  usually 
two  married  ladies  or  two  little  girls  dressed  in 
white,  who  serve  as  bridesmaids. 

When  the  party  is  thus  placed  a  chorus  of 
voices  in  the  adjoining  room  sings  a  Japanese 
song  called  "Utai."  A  low  table  of  white  wood, 
that  has  never  been  used,  is  then  brought  in 
and  a  tray  is  placed  upon  it  containing  three 
cups,  which  one  of  the  bridesmaids  fills  with 
sake".  The  latter  hands  the  smallest  cup  to  the 
bride,  who  takes  three  dainty  sips  of  wine  and 
238 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

then  passes   it   to  the  groom,  who  follows  her 
example. 

The  second  and  third  cups  are  filled  in  a  sim- 
ilar manner,  and  the  ceremony  is  repeated.  As 
the  groom  returns  the  third  cup  to  the  brides- 
maid all  clap  their  hands,  which  is  a  salute  or 
approbation  announcing  that  the  ceremony  is 
over. 

There  is  no  kissing  or  embracing,  but  a  great 
many  congratulations  are  offered  to  the  young 
couple  and  guests  of  literary  attainments  are 
expected  to  hand  them  poems  of  their  own  com- 
position, which  are  afterward  bound  in  a  little 
book  as  a  memento  of  the  occasion.  The  couple 
then  retire  to  put  off  the  wedding  robes  and 
resume  their  ordinary  garments,  and  afterward 
join  the  guests  at  a  feast,  which  is  served  with 
great  ceremony.  The  congratulations  are  there 
renewed  and  include  the  parents  and  relatives  of 
the  couple,  and  everybody  drinks  to  the  health 
of  the  bride  and  groom.  Sometimes  the  feast- 
ing continues  very  late,  and  often  ends  in  a  ca- 
rousal, but  before  the  guests  retire  they  repeat 
their  congratulations,  as  is  customary  in  other 
countries. 

Among  the  common  people  the  marriage 
ceremony  is  considerably  modified.  Bridesmaids 
are  omitted  and  the  nakodos,  the  gentleman  sit- 
ting at  the  right  of  the  groom  and  his  wife  at 
the  left  of  the  bride,  fill  and  pass  the  cups  of 

239 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

sake";  but  there  is  always  a  supper  of  some 
kind  and  plenty  to  drink,  if  the  food  is  only 
rice  and  salted  fish  and  the  liquids  only  tea. 

When  the  guests  have  left  the  house  the 
nakodos  take  the  couple  to  theii  bedroom,  assist 
them  to  remove  their  garments  and  put  them  to 
bed.  After  they  are  well  covered  up  another 
cup  of  sake"  is  passed  around  and  the  final  good- 
nights  are  repeated. 

In  the  morning  the  father  of  the  groom,  or 
the  nakodo,  goes  to  police  headquarters  and  reg- 
isters the  marriage,  giving  the  names,  ages, 
occupations  and  residence  of  the  couple.  It  is 
customary  for  the  bride  and  groom  shortly  after 
their  marriage  to  make  a  present  to  the  gentle- 
man and  lady  who  have  served  them  as  nakodos. 

On  the  third  day  after  the  wedding  the  bride 
returns  to  her  father's  house  to  stay  three  or 
seven  days,  as  the  case  may  be,  during  which 
time  her  father  invites  the  friends  of  both  fam- 
ilies— usually  those  who  have  been  guests  at  the 
wedding — to  a  big  feast.  If  the  first  three  days 
of  married  life  are  not  satisfactory  to  the  bride, 
she  notifies  the  nakodos  of  that  fact  and  does 
not  return  to  her  husband's  home,  which  is 
equivalent  to  a  divorce.  If  the  husband  is  dis- 
satisfied he  notifies  the  nakodos,  and  they  are 
expected  to  communicate  with  the  bride's  par- 
ents. If  a  divorce  is  insisted  upon  by  either 
party  it  must  be  accepted  by  the  other,  but  such 
240 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

a  proceeding  is  seldom  resorted  to  except  where 
misrepresentations  have  been  made  as  to  the 
temper  and  physical  condition  of  either  party. 
If  the  bride  or  groom  proves  to  be  deformed, 
impotent  or  diseased  in  any  manner  a  divorce  is 
considered  honorable  and  legitimate,  and  it  is 
only  necessary  to  register  the  fact  at  police 
headquarters. 

After  the  ceremonies  are  concluded  the 
bride  separates  herself  entirely  from  her  own 
family  and  becomes  as  much  identified  with  the 
family  of  her  husband  as  if  she  were  born  into 
it.  She  is  not  expected  to  inherit  any  of  her 
father's  property,  although  he  may  leave  her  a 
legacy  if  he  desires  to  do  so.  Nor  is  it  neces- 
sary for  a  father  to  give  his  daughter  a  dowry 
upon  her  marriage,  although  it  is  often  done. 
It  is  usually  a  part  of  the  original  arrangement, 
and  the  amount  is  settled  between  her  parents 
and  the  nakodos. 

I  asked  one  of  the  most  progressive  and 
modernized  Japanese  gentlemen  I  have  ever  met 
whether  it  were  not  possible  for  a  young  man  to 
select  his  own  bride  and  propose  marriage  to 
her  or  to  her  father  according  to  the  American 
plan.  "Of  course  it  is  possible,"  he  replied, 
"but  it  is  extremely  improbable.  Our  people 
are  not  educated  up  to  that  point.  We  may 
come  to  it  in  time,  but  marriage  and  the  affairs 
of  the  home  are  the  last  to  be  affected  by  foreign 
241 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

innovations.  ,If  a  young  man  of  the  very  high- 
est reputation  and  social  position  should  attempt 
to  offer  himself  to  a  young  lady,  or  ask  her  hand 
in  marriage  from  her  father,  as  you  do  in  Amer- 
ica, he  would  undoubtedly  be  kicked  out  of  the 
house.  It  would  be  absolutely  fatal  to  his  pros- 
pects of  marriage,  for  neither  that  girl  nor  any 
other  girl  with  any  self-respect  would  accept 
him.  The  result  would  be  the  same  as  if  some 
some  young  man  in  America  were  to  try  the 
Japanese  plan.  He  would  be  considered  as 
trifling  with  the  most  sacred  relation  in  life,  and 
his  friends  would  be  advised  to  shut  him  up  in 
a  lunatic  asylum.  While  our  young  people  are 
not  allowed  to  associate  upon  terms  of  intimacy 
with  each  other  or  even  form  friendships  with 
unmarried  persons  of  the  opposite  sex,  they  see 
each  other  frequently,  so  it  is  always  possible, 
and  often  easy,  for  a  young  man  to  select  his 
bride  from  among  the  families  with  which  his 
parents  are  friendly.  It  is  only  necessary  for 
him  to  notify  his  father  or  a  nakodo  of  his 
wishes,  and  if  the  young  lady  is  not  otherwise 
provided  for  they  can  arrange  matters  to  his  sat- 
isfaction without  the  slightest  difficulty." 

In  writing  and  speaking  of  Japan  among  the 
Japanese  one  has  to  be  extremely  careful  in  his 
references  to  the  condition  of  women  and  to 
the  subject  of  marriage  and  divorce.  It  is  their 
weak  point,  and  they  are  extremely  sensitive 
242 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

about  it.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Tamura,  pastor  of  one 
of  the  native  Presbyterian  churches  in  Tokyo, 
and  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  energetic 
representatives  of  the  Christian  faith  in  Japan, 
was  recently  expelled  from  the  presbytery  for 
publishing  a  book  in  which  the  marriage  rela- 
tion and  the  enslavement  of  women  were  too 
freely  discussed.  It  was  entitled  "  The  Japanese 
Bride,"  and  was  published  in  English  for  Amer- 
ican readers. 

Mr.  Tamura  had  the  usual  author's  allowance 
of  ten  copies  sent  him,  which  he  presented, 
with  his  compliments,  to  prominent  friends  in 
and  out  of  the  church.  They  created  a  sensa- 
tion— what  Mr.  Tamura  himself  calls  a  tempest 
— because  no  Japanese  had  ever  discussed  the 
subject  so  freely,  or  told  the  truth  so  plainly,  or  in 
cold  type  compared  the  condition  of  his  mother 
and  sister  and  wife  with  that  of  women  in  other 
lands.  The  book  was  taken  up  in  the  presby- 
tery and  the  author  was  accused  of  slandering 
his  people.  He  was  not  charged  with  falsehood, 
but  with  telling  too  much  truth.  It  would  not 
have  been  so  bad,  they  argued,  if  the  book  had 
been  written  in  Japanese  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
couraging a  reform,  but  it  was  disgraceful  for 
a  clergyman  to  advertise  the  faults  of  his  race 
among  foreigners,  for  the  purpose,  as  they 
claimed,  of  creating  a  sensation. 

Mr.  Tamura   is,  perhaps,  best  known  in  the 
243 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

United  States  of  all  the  Japanese  native  preach- 
ers. He  is  a  graduate  of  Princeton  college  and 
Auburn  Theological  seminary.  He  has  occupied 
the  pulpit  of  some  Presbyterian  church  in  nearly 
every  city  of  size  in  America,  and  has  made  two 
lecturing  tours  for  the  purpose  of  raising  money 
for  an  industrial  school  he  established  here  some 
years  ago.  He  has  visited  every  state  and 
territory  except  Texas,  and  his  many  friends  in 
the  United  States  will  regret  to  learn  of  his 
trouble.  But,  although  his  fellow- Presbyterians 
punished  him  they  did  not  quench  his  zeal  nor 
injure  his  influence.  When  he  was  expelled 
from  the  presbytery  his  church  went  with  him, 
and  has  since  been  more  prosperous  than  before. 
The  sympathies  of  the  public,  as  is  usual  in  such 
cases,  are  generally  with  him,  and  the  mission- 
ary element  of  all  denominations  will  only  ad- 
mit that  he  was  guilty  of  an  indiscretion. 

There  are  no  shrines  or  tablets  erected  to  the 
memory  of  the  good  mothers  and  wives  and 
daughters  of  Japan  for  the  people  to  worship, 
although  there  are  several  goddesses,  and  one 
woman  saint  has  crept  into  the  Buddhist  calen- 
dar. Her  name  is  Chiu-Jo-Hime  and  she  is 
commemorated  with  an  idol.  As  near  as  I  can 
ascertain  her  history,  she  was  a  nun,  and  they 
made  her  a  saint  because  she  discovered  the 
usefulness  of  the  fiber  of  the  lotus  root  and 
wove  it  into  tapestry  for  altar  decoration.  Ben- 
244 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

ten  is  the  goddess  of  good  luck,  and  there  are 
streets  named  after  her  in  nearly  all  the  cities. 
The  principal  shopping  street  in  Yokohama  is 
Benten-Dori.  The  next  popular  shopping  street 
is  Honchi-Dori,  which  means  "  a  favorable  loca- 
tion," and  from  it  our  familiar  slang  phrase, 
"  hunky-dori  "  was  probably  derived.  The  deity 
who  acts  as  regent  of  the  Buddhist  hell  is 
Emma-O  ;  but  he  is  a  god. 

Most  of  the  goddesses  are  of  evil  disposition, 
and  in  the  Japanese  language  there  is  no  word 
to  describe  gallantry  to  women.  In  feudal  times, 
when  courage  and  skill  in  combat  were  the  high- 
est attributes  of  man,  no  Japanese  knight  ever 
performed  a  valiant  deed  for  the  love  of  a  woman. 
He  fought  for  the  approval  of  his  father  or  for 
the  favor  of  his  prince.  Few  Japanese  poets 
and  authors  have  written  of  love  and  woman's 
smiles.  All  of  the  poetry  and  literature  that 
tends  that  way  is  not  fit  for  maidens  or  mission- 
aries to  read.  And  it  is  not  because  woman  is 
unworthy.  Every  one  who  has  visited  that 
country  or  has  lived  there  will  agree  in  their 
appreciation  and  their  admiration  of  the  virtues 
of  the  Japanese  women,  even  if  they  are  not 
unanimous  as  to  their  beauty.  Judged  by  the 
artistic  models,  the  classic  faces  and  figures  of 
Greece,  or  the  types  of  beauty  that  we  admire 
the  most  in  the  United  States,  the  Japanese 
woman  is  not  beautiful,  but  she  is  sweet  and 

245 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

gentle  and  good.  She  suffers  what  few  women 
are  compelled  to  endure,  but  she  never  com- 
plains, and  her  influence  in  molding  the  charac- 
ter of  her  children  and  in  shaping  the  civiliza- 
tion of  this  empire  can  never  be  overestimated. 

But  from  birth  a  woman  is  taught  that  she  is 
"the  weaker  vessel;"  that  she  is  an  inferior 
being,  created  to  minister  to  the  will  and  the 
fancy  of  men.  Her  marriage  is  an  affair  with 
which  she  has  nothing  to  do.  Her  husband  is 
selected  for  her,  and  when  he  tires  of  her  he  can 
put  her  away. 

There  are  seven  causes,  according  to  Con- 
fucius, for  which  a  man  may  divorce  his  wife. 
They  are  disobedience,  the  failure  to  bear  chil- 
dren, unchastity,  jealousy,  an  incurable  disease, 
dishonesty  and  a  sharp  tongue.  In  other  words, 
he  can  get  rid  of  her  whenever  he  likes  and  by 
very  simple  process.  All  he  has  to  do  is  to  write 
her  a  letter  declaring  that  everything  is  over 
between  them,  and  advising  her  to  return  to  her 
parents.  Such  a  letter  addressed  to  her  father 
or  her  eldest  brother,  if  she  has  no  father,  will 
answer  the  same  purpose.  Then  he  must  go  to 
the  registrar's  office  and  report  himself  as  a 
divorced  man. 

A  wife  may  get  rid  of  her  husband  if  she  de- 
sires to  do  so  for  similar  causes,  but  she  will  lose 
her  social  position,  if  she  has  any,  and  is  much 
more  likely  to  be  respected  and  make  a  second 
246 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

marriage  if  she  is  the  defendant  instead  of  the 
plaintiff  in  the  case.  This  is  somewhat  of  a 
paradox,  but  it  throws  a  searchlight  upon  the 
social  system  of  Japan.  What  is  required  above 
all  from  women  is  obedience.  That  is  the  high- 
est of  virtues,  and  no  obedient  woman  would 
ever  seek  a  divorce  from  her  husband  for  any 
cause. 

When  a  wife  wishes  to  be  divorced  she  writes 
a  letter  to  her  husband  announcing  that  fact, 
packs  up  her  things,  notifies  the  registrar  of 
vital  statistics  and  goes  back  to  her  father's 
house.  If  there  are  children  of  immature  years 
the  couple  dispose  of  them  by  agreement  or  by 
the  arbitration  of  a  mutual  friend. 

While  divorces  among  the  upper  classes  of 
Japan  are  very  rare,  it  is  doubtful  if  there  is  any 
country  on  earth  where  they  are  more  frequent 
among  the  common  people.  I  know  the  super- 
intendent of  the  lighters  of  a  steamship  com- 
pany at  Yokohama  who  has  been  divorced  nine 
times,  and  a  missionary  from  Chicago  told  me 
that  his  former  cook  had  had  seven  wives  when 
he  left  the  family  four  years  ago,  and  that  sev- 
eral had  since  been  added  to  the  list.  The 
higher  civilization  advances  in  Japan  the  more 
numerous  divorces  appear  to  be.  The  follow- 
ing tables  from  the  official  records  show  the 
number  of  marriages  and  divorces  each  year  in 
Japan  since  1887,  when  the  records  became  en- 
247 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

tirely  reliable,  and  the  percentage  per  1,000  of 
population  each  year : 

MARRIAGES. 

YEAR                                                                                             TOTAL  PER  I.OOO 

NUMBER. 

1887 334,149  85.5 

1888 330,246  83.4 

1889 340,445  85.0 

1890 325,141  80.4 

1891 352,6U  86.0 

1892 349,4°9  85.8 

1893 358,839  86.6 

On  December  31,  1894,  there  were  7,561,900 
married  couples  in  the  empire  of  Japan,  repre- 
senting 367.88  out  of  every  1,000  of  the  popu- 
lation. 

DIVORCES. 

YEAR.  TOTAL    PER  1,000. 

NUMBER. 

1887 110,859  284 

1888 109,175  27.6 

1889 107,458  26.8 

1890 107,088  26.0 

iSgi 112,411  27.6 

1892 113,498  27.9 

1893 116,775      28.2 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  number  of  di- 
vorces taking  place  annually  is  about  one-third 
as  large  as  the  number  of  marriages,  and  that 
the  average  runs  about  the  same  every  year.  It 
should  be  explained  for  the  benefit  of  the  in- 
credulous, that  these  figures  are  taken  from  the 
Statistical  Review  of  the  Empire  of  Japan,  pub- 
lished by  order  of  the  cabinet  by  the  bureau  of 
statistics  at  Tokyo. 

The  condensed  returns   do   not   show   how 
many  of  these  divorces  were  sought  by  husbands, 
248 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

but  I  am  informed  by  a  gentleman  who  is  famil- 
iar with  the  detailed  returns  that  only  about  one 
per  cent,  originated  with  wives. 

The  morals  of  the  women  have  very  little  to 
do  with  divorce.  The  prevailing  cause  is  a  lack 
of  affection  and  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of 
the  men,  who  become  tired  of  their  wives  and 
want  to  try  another  chance  in  the  lottery  of  mar- 
riage. As  a  bad  temper  and  incompatability  are 
sufficient  ground  at  any  time  for  getting  rid  of 
a  wife,  a  man  does  not  hesitate  long  when  he 
sees  a  woman  he  likes  better  than  the  one  he  is 
living  with.  The  law  of  chastity  applies  to 
wives  in  Japan,  but  not  to  husbands.  There  is  a 
double  standard  of  morals  prevailing  from  the 
nobility  to  the  peasantry.  The  husband  may  be 
as  licentious  as  he  likes,  and  the  wife  seldom 
grumbles,  for  if  she  does  she  is  liable  to  lose  her 
home  and  be  separated  from  her  children  ;  and, 
as  she  has  been  educated  to  believe  that  what- 
ever man  does  is  right,  she  doesn't  think  much 
about  it. 

A  Japanese  woman  never  addresses  her  hus- 
band in  terms  of  endearment,  nor  has  the  Japan- 
ese man  any  pet  names  for  his  wife.  While 
there  is,  no  doubt,  genuine  affection  and  devo- 
tion on  both  sides  in  the  large  majority  of  fami- 
lies, both  sexes  have  been  taught  to  repress 
their  emotions.  A  Japanese  husband  never 
kisses  his  wife  or  his  children.  He  knows  no 
249 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

such  word  as  home.  Children  and  wives  are 
taught  to  respect  and  reverence  the  head  of  the 
family,  be  he  father,  husband,  brother  or  son, 
and  this  deference  is  carried  much  further  than 
with  us ;  but  if  caresses  are  ever  exchanged  the 
world  is  not  allowed  to  know  it. 

The  husband  introduces  his  wife  to  his  friends 
with  words  ot  depreciation.  He  says  this  is  my 
"humble"  wife,  or  my  "stupid"  wife,  or  my 
"unworthy"  wife,  or  my  "unfortunate"  wife, 
just  as  he  refers  to  his  humble  or  unworthy 
home.  The  husband  always  precedes  the  wife 
whenever  they  enter  a  house  or  a  room,  or  are 
walking  together  upon  the  streets.  When  guests 
are  present  the  wife  always  takes  a  seat  at  a 
distance  near  the  door.  It  is  the  duty  of  woman 
to  wait  upon  man.  If  a  mat,  or  tea,  or  anything 
else  is  wanted,  the  wife  always  goes  for  it.  She 
is  only  a  slight  degree  above  the  servants. 

The  Japanese  say  that  this  does  not  signify 
disrespect  or  a  lack  of  affection,  but  it  is  the 
custom  of  the  country,  and  that  the  women  are 
as  well  satisfied  with  it  as  the  men,  but  at  the 
same  time  the  educated  Japanese  always  shrinks 
from  a  conversation  on  this  subject. 

The  Japanese  woman  does  not  have  a  pretty 
figure.  She  is  always  short  and  stumpy.  Her 
neck  and  waist  are  large,  her  shoulders  are  broad 
and  her  flesh  seems  to  be  evenly  distributed.  A 
modiste  would  say  that  she  had  no  shape  at  all 
250 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

and  therefore  it  is  impossible  to  make  a  modern 
dress  fit  her.  The  ancient  style  of  garments, 
particularly  those  used  by  the  upper  classes, 
were  especially  adapted  to  the  peculiarities  of 
the  Japanese  women,  and  a  lady  always  looks 
well  in  the  soft  grays  and  delicate  tints  that  she 
selects  for  her  kimonos.  But  one  who  will  be 
very  pretty  and  graceful  in  her  native  costume 
generally  looks  like  a  guy  when  she  puts  on  a 
Paris  dress,  no  matter  how  fine  the  material  or 
who  made  it. 

The  modern  costume  is  universally  admired 
and  it  certainly  adds  to  the  dignity  of  a  man. 
But  as  worn  among  the  common  people  it  cer- 
tainly does  not  contribute  to  the  grace  or  the 
modesty  of  the  women,  for  it  consists  of  a  single 
garment  fastened  only  with  a  girdle,  which 
allows  it  to  flop  open  both  above  and  below  the 
waist  and  expose  a  large  portion  of  the  person 
which  women  in  other  countries  are  taught  to 
conceal.  It  should  be  said,  however,  that  the 
Japanese  women  as  a  rule  are  very  modest.  A 
gentleman  who  has  been  living  in  Japan  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  has  seen 
all  there  is  in  Japanese  life,  asserts  that  he  never 
knew  a  native  women  to  intentionally  commit 
an  impropriety. 

But  neither  the  Japanese  lady  nor  gentleman 
is  improved  in  appearance  by  modern  dress. 
The  men  appear  to  have  no  idea  of  what  looks 
251 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

well  and  wear  the  most  outlandish  combinations. 
You  seldom  see  one  clad  in  a  full  suit  of  the 
same  color,  and  they  do  not  like  dark  clothes. 
They  usually  have  a  blue  coat,  a  pink  vest,  lav- 
ender trousers,  a  red  necktie,  a  green  hat,  and  if 
they  can  find  a  shirt  of  another  color  they  put  it 
on.  In  selecting  their  native  costumes  they 
choose  quiet  grays,  blues  and  browns,  and  in  the 
manufacture  of  fabrics  and  in  the  decorative  arts 
no  people  are  so  skilfull  in  combining  shades 
as  the  Japanese,  but  they  do  not  seem  to  have 
the  sense  of  good  taste  in  the  selection  of  Euro- 
pean garments. 

It  is  usually  the  case,  too,  that  a  young  Japa- 
nese who  puts  on  foreign  garments  thinks  it  nec- 
essary to  adopt  other  foreign  customs,  and,  not 
having  a  very  clear  idea  as  to  what  they  are, 
makes  a  ridiculous  spectacle  of  himself  with  the 
best  of  intentions.  He  puts  his  hat  on  the  back 
of  his  head,  sticks  a  cigar  in  the  corner  of  his 
mouth,  takes  a  cane  in  his  hand,  and  thinks  he 
is  a  perfect  model  of  an  American  or  an  English 
gentleman,  when  in  fact  he  is  a  poor  imitation 
of  a  loafer.  But  I  suppose  that  the  Americans 
and  Europeans  who  put  on  Japanese  garments 
and  attempt  to  imitate  their  manners  are  sub- 
ject to  the  same  criticisms.  I  heard  a  Japanese 
lady  who  had  witnessed  a  performance  of  "  The 
Mikado"  in  the  United  States,  commenting 
upon  the  costumes  in  a  very  amusing  way,  and 
252 


1'HE    NKW    WAV. 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

from  what  she  said  I  judge  that,  from  the  Japa- 
nese standpoint,  the  performers  must  have 
looked  ridiculous. 

The  most  interesting  of  all  things  Japanese  are 
the  children,  and  one  sees  them  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage in  the  kindergartens,  which  are  numer- 
ous throughout  the  country  and  are  attached  to  all 
of  the  public  schools,  although  many  of  them 
are  very  imperfect  imitations  of  the  genuine  in- 
stitutions that  we  have  at  home.  The  Japanese 
child  is  the  father  of  the  man,  and  when  he  is 
on  parade  or  has  anything  serious  before  him  he 
is  the  most  dignified  and  decorous  person  in 
existence.  When  he  is  at  play  he  is  as  happy 
as  a  child  can  be,  and  one  of  the  most  attractive 
scenes  in  Tokyo,  Kyoto  and  other  of  the  large 
cities  are  the  play  grounds  around  the  school- 
houses  at  recess  time. 

As  soon  as  a  baby  is  born  it  is  strapped  on 
the  back  of  an  elder  brother  or  sister  with  its 
little  limbs  closely  confined  and  its  head  rolling 
about  helplessly  in  the  sun.  It  is  a  Japanese 
custom  to  shave  the  head  of  an  infant  on  the 
seventh  day  after  the  birth,  only  a  tiny  tuft  of 
hair  on  the  nape  of  the  neck  being  left,  as  a 
practical  gentleman  suggests,  for  seed.  During 
the  next  five  or  six  years,  and  often  until  the 
child  is  10,  the  head  is  shaved  at  frequent  in- 
tervals and  in  a  most  grotesque  and  absurd 
manner  as  the  French  shave  the  bodies  of  their 

253 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

poodle  dogs.  The  spots  that  are  made  bare  and 
those  that  are  left  unshaven  indicate  the  taste  of 
the  tonsorial  artist,  and  the  poor  little  chaps  are 
mutilated  in  such  a  way  that,  with  their  little 
black  almond  eyes,  their  serene  and  serious 
countenances  and  the  gay  kimonos  in  which  they 
are  dressed,  it  makes  them  look  like  the  curious 
dolls  you  buy  in  the  shops.  This  constant  shav- 
ing of  the  head  is  the  cause  of  the  coarseness  and 
stiffness  of  the  Japanese  hair. 

Japanese  children  are  well  mannered  from 
the  cradle  and  both  boys  and  girls  are  free  from 
that  awkwardness  and  shyness  which  affects 
European  and  American  children.  They  are 
models  of  obedience  also.  A  Japanese  baby 
never  cries  and  a  Japanese  child  is  seldom  pun- 
ished. They  seem  to  be  born  with  a  respect  for 
authority  and  a  reverence  for  their  parents  which 
pervade  the  entire  body  politic  and  have  per- 
mitted the  same  dynasty  to  govern  Japan  for 
2,500  years* 

The  most  successful  kindergarten  in  Japan, 
one  which  is  always  pointed  at  as  a  model  and 
visited  by  strangers,  is  in  charge  of  Miss  Annie 
L.  Howe  of  Chicago.  She  has  been  in  Japan 
for  seven  years  and  is  regarded  by  both  foreign- 
ers and  officials  as  one  of  the  most  useful  teach- 
ers the  missionary  boards  have  ever  sent  out.  In 
connection  with  her  kindergarten  she  has  a 
training  school  for  teachers,  from  which  the  best 
254 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

instructors  in  the  primary  departments  of  the 
Japanese  schools  have  come. 

Every  woman  in  Japan  above  the  age  of  15 
years  seems  to  own  a  baby  and  usually  carries  it 
around  upon  her  back.  They  never  cry — they 
never  get  impatient  or  discontented,  but  stay 
where  they  are  put  and  enjoy  it.  You  can  see 
hundreds  of  women  at  work  in  the  tea-firing 
houses,  where  the  temperature  is  always  very 
high  and  the  work  is  very  hard,  going  through 
their  twelve  hours  of  labor  with  babies  3  or  4 
weeks  old  strapped  upon  their  backs,  and  the 
babies  never  whimper  no  matter  how  much  the 
mothers  shake  them  when  they  are  stirring  the 
hot  tea  leaves  with  their  arms  up  to  their  should- 
ers in  the  pans.  Then,  after  three  hours,  when 
the  regular  resting  time  comes  and  everybody 
stops  for  refreshments,  baby  gets  his.  He  is  un- 
strapped and  nursed  while  his  mother  is  dipping 
into  her  little  rice  can  with  a  couple  of  chop- 
sticks, and  then,  when  the  whistle  blows,  he  is 
strapped  on  again  for  another  three  hours,  with- 
out opening  his  lips  except  to  yawn  or  say  "  goo  " 
or  make  some  other  remark  as  the  events  and 
peculiarities  of  this  wonderful  world  excite  his 
attention. 

When  he  gets  a  little  older  his  mother  puts 

him  in  a  tea  box  with  some  simple  playthings, 

and  he  will  stay  there  all  day,  safe  from  harm, 

and  grow  and  enjoy  himself.     He  can  exercise 

255 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

his  arms  by  pulling  himself  by  the  sides  of  the 
box,  and  his  legs  by  treading  around  in  that 
limited  space,  and  can  assist  in  the  development 
of  his  dental  apparatus  by  chewing  the  edges  of 
the  boards,  but  he  never  seems  to  get  tired  or 
hungry  or  dissatisfied,  although  any  live  Ameri- 
can baby  that  ever  existed  would  be  howling 
like  a  drove  of  blue  devils  five  minutes  after  his 
mother  had  gone  to  her  work. 

Toward  noonday,  when  the  sun  gets  hot  and 
the  little  ones  feel  sleepy,  they  lie  down  on  the 
floor  like  cats  or  dogs.  It  may  be  a  pavement 
of  brick  or  stone,  it  may  be  a  board  floor,  but 
they  need  no  cradle,  or  blanket,  or  pillow;  only 
a  sheltered  corner  out  of  the  sun  where  they 
won't  be  stepped  upon,  and  they  do  not  have  to 
be  rocked  or  sung  to  sleep.  They  take  care  of 
themselves.  Their  mothers  are  busy  earning  8, 
10  and  15  cents  a  day  by  twelve  or  thirteen 
hours  of  hard  labor  in  a  warehouse  where  the 
temperature  is  often  above  xoe  degrees  all  day 
long,  and  the  odor  of  tea  is  so  strong  that  it  al- 
most strangles  you ;  so  they  do  not  think  it  fair 
to  bother  them  or  add  to  their  cares,  and  have 
the  good  sense  and  self-control  to  find  their  own 
amusement  and  look  after  their  own  comfort, 
just  like  a  puppy  or  a  kitten. 

That  is  the  kind  of  baby  they  raise  in  Japan. 

Mr.  Daigoro  Goh,  an  author  and  scholar  of 
reputation,  gives  an  interesting  explanation  of 
256 


THE    OLD    WAY. 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

the  family  relations  in  Japan,  which  is  intended 
to  counteract  the  effect  of  Mr.  Tamura's  "  Japan- 
ese Bride." 

"Whatever  their  religious  faith  may  be,"  he 
says,  "Japanese  families  carry  out,  informally, 
the  teaching  of  morality  in  their  own  homes. 
The  elders  are  the  instructors  of  the  younger, 
practicing  as  many  rites  of  reverence  and  wor- 
ship in  the  house  as  in  the  temple,  every  house- 
hold, however  humble,  having  a  family  ancestral 
altar  and  several  domestic  shrines  of  gods,  where 
daily  sacrifices  and  ceremonies  are  invariably 
performed,  scrupulously  preserving  and  adjust- 
ing the  external  proprieties  of  etiquette  as  well 
as  the  inner  consciousness  of  juniors  in  the 
presence  of  seniors,  pious  devotion  to  the  mem- 
ory of  ancestors,  filial  piety,  loyalty,  fraternal 
affection,  faithfulness  of  husband  and  wife,  re- 
spect to  the  old,  kindness  and  sympathy  to  the 
young  and  weak,  charity  to  the  poor,  and  help 
to  relations,  being  inculcated  by  the  family 
teaching.  In  short,  the  ethics  of  the  Japanese 
people  are  cultivated  and  kept  up,  in  great 
measure,  by  domestic  instruction. 

"Among  the  relations  of  the  Japanese  family 
the  first  and  foremost  in  importance  is  that  be- 
tween parents  and  children.  Paternity  on  the 
one  hand  and  filial  piety  on  the  other,  are  not 
only  the  tie  between  parent  and  child;  they 
unite  also  the  whole  family.  Good  parents  and 
257 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

dutiful  children,  according  to  the  Japanese 
notion,  are  the  makers  of  family  unity  and  the 
factors  of  national  peace  and  order.  More  im- 
portance is  attached  to  this  relationship  in  Japan 
than  even  to  that  between  husband  and  wife. 
The  latter  relationship,  the  Japanese  conceive, 
is  a  matter  of  mutual  agreement,  which  can  be 
dissolved  by  mutual  consent ;  while  the  former, 
being  a  natural  tie,  cannot  be  annulled.  The 
consequence  is,  to  take  an  extreme  case,  that  a 
husband  can  divorce  his  wife  on  the  ground 
that  his  father  and  mother  disagree  so  much 
with  her  as  to  cause  constant  family  disturbance, 
but  it  is  regarded,  of  course,  as  a  most  painful 
incident.  Theoretically  speaking,  Japanese  par- 
ents possess  unlimited  power  over  their  chil- 
dren so  long  as  this  power  is  exerted  for  their 
benefit.  On  the  other  hand,  Japanese  youths  are 
compelled  by  the  national  system  of  ethics,  to 
pay  the  acknowledged  duty  of  obedience  to  par- 
ents. Hence,  it  may  be  imagined,  that  Japan- 
ese children  are  far  from  enjoying  happiness 
and  liberty.  Happily,  however,  Japanese  fathers 
and  mothers,  as  in  other  nationalities,  have  no 
lack  of  love  or  good  will  towards  their  children. 
"Our  forefathers  used  to  propose  directly  to 
the  girls  whom  they  loved,  without  any  go-be- 
tween, who  is  indispensably  employed  for  be- 
trothing by  the  existing  people.  The  bride- 
groom, in  that  simple  and  happy  era,  instead  of 
258 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

holding  the  wedding  ceremony  at  the  paternal 
house,  whither  the  bride  of  the  present  time  has 
to  go  first  for  the  wedding,  had  to  betake  him- 
self to  the  bride's  paternal  home  to  celebrate 
the  union,  and,  staying  there  a  night,  take  back 
the  new  wife  to  his  own  house  the  following 
day.  At  this  ceremony  the  wedding  wine  was 
drunk  first  by  the  bride,  and  the  cup  offered 
afterwards  to  the  bridegroom,  which  etiquette  is 
entirely  opposed  to  the  present  practice.  The 
two  customs  last  named,  I  am  informed,  are  in 
practice  at  the  present  day  in  certain  localities 
of  our  ancient  empire.  These  usages  seemed  to 
have  lasted  only  up  to  the  ninth  century  of  the 
Christian  era,  when  Chinese  influence  com- 
menced to  remodel  the  whole  framework  of 
social  life,  and  the  original  initiative  of  the  coun- 
try, in  consequence,  gradually  lost  ground. 

"From  the  seventh  to  the  fifteenth  century  of 
the  Christian  era,  so  preponderant  was  Chinese 
influence  over  the  court,  laws,  science,  art,  and 
literature,  that  even  the  status  of  woman  was 
copied  from  the  Celestial  empire,  where  the  fair 
sex  is  considered  impure  in  its  physical  forma- 
tion, defective  in  its  mental  constitution,  and 
consequently  inferior  in  its  position,  both  do- 
mestic and  social. 

"This  peaceful  but  evolutionary  era  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  'Belligerent  Age,'  which  lasted  till 
the  establishment  of  the  Tokugawa  feudalism 
259 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

three  centuries  ago.  This  disorderly  'Middle 
Age'  struck  another  blow  at  the  weaker  sex. 
The  intellectual  progress  was  sadly  impaired, 
the  civil  administration  was  neglected  in  a  most 
lamentable  manner;  military  exploits,  physical 
strength,  valiant  deeds,  and  adventure  were  the 
sole  admiration  and  ambition  of  the  time.  At 
such  a  period  it  is  but  natural  that  the  stronger 
sex  should  have  ascendency  in  every  way  over 
the  weaker,  a  state  which  may  be  easily  vouched 
for  by  the  history  of  Europe.  Moreover,  the 
science  and  literature  of  the  time  were  left  al- 
most exclusively  in  the  hands  of  the  Buddhist 
priest,  the  only  ruler  of  the  intellectual  and 
moral  world  of  the  age,  and  who  was  also  an- 
other foe  to  woman.  The  Buddhist  creed  in 
this  respect  is  no  better  than  the  Chinese  phil- 
osophy. 'Woman  has  no  home  in  the  three 
worlds — past,  present  and  future'  ('Sangai  ni 
iye  nashi') — is  one  of  their  popular  precepts, 
and  thus  every  right  of  the  fair  sex  was  violated. 
"  The  next  stage  was  the  Tokugawa  period. 
Peace  was  restored,  art  and  science  were  recov- 
ered and  promoted,  social  order  gradually  re- 
sumed its  normal  condition.  But  again,  the 
mania  for  Chinese  assimilation  and  politics,  in 
social  life,  in  science,  and  above  all,  in  morality, 
having  risen  higher  than  ever,  woman's  position 
had  sunk  deeper  and  deeper  in  the  social  strat- 
um. 

260 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

"This  is  a  historical  epitome  of  the  causes 
of  the  inferior  position  occupied  by  women  in 
Japan.  If,  therefore,  Japan  had  been  free  from 
external  influence,  the  condition  of  the  present 
woman,  I  am  convinced,  might  have  been  quite 
different  from  what  we  now  witness.  Whatever 
the  causes  may  have  been  it  is  my  duty  to  present 
a  faithful  picture  of  the  existing  state  of  married 
life  and  to  point  out  its  defects  as  well  as  its 
virtues  for  the  consideration  of  the  Japan  of  the 
future. 

"First  of  all  the  fundamental  principle  of 
marriage  in  Japan  must  be  clearly  understood 
before  we  proceed  further.  Marriage,  to  speak 
strictly  in  our  national  sense,  is  not  merely  for 
love  but  to  constitute  a  family  in  order  to  secure 
the  succession  of  a  man's  house  established  by 
his  progenitor. 

"Although  I  am  myself  an  uncompromising 
opponent,  up  to  a  certain  point,  of  the  old  sys- 
tem of  married  life,  it  is  only  just  that  I  should 
as  an  exponent  of  the  subject,  desire  to  defend 
the  Japanese  husband,  in  the  first  place,  against 
the  undiscriminating  attacks  made  by  outsiders, 
since  I  have  found  there  are  some  reasonable 
causes,  historical,  traditional,  political  and  social 
for  the  supremacy  given  to  the  husband  over  the 
wife,  and  which  is  not  exclusively  due  to  motives 
of  selfishness  and  oppression  on  the  part  of  the 
stronger,  as  some  critics  allege.  It  is  the  man's 
261 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

house  for  which  the  benefit  of  marriage  is  in- 
tended, it  is  the  man's  family  for  which  posterity 
is  to  be  secured,  it  is  the  man's  house  in  which 
the  wife  has  to  live  and  make  her  home;  and, 
above  all,  it  is  the  husband  who  has  the  entire 
responsibility  of  the  maintenance  of  his  wife  and 
family.  Moreover,  the  husband  is,  in  general, 
the  head  of  a  family,  and  the  sole  possessor  of 
the  property.  One  more  cause,  which  has  been 
an  essential  factor,  is  the  traditional  belief  of 
the  people,  emphasized,  if  not  entirely  taught, 
by  the  heresy  of  Confucius  and  Buddhism,  as  to 
the  natural  superiority,  both  mental  and  physi- 
cal, of  the  stronger  sex  over  the  weaker.  Putting 
together  these  facts  and  causes,  we  are  able  fairly 
to  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  has  been  not 
unreasonable  for  the  Japanese  husband  to  occu- 
py, in  practice  as  well  as  in  principle,  a  higher 
level  than  that  afforded  to  his  wife.  In  other 
words,  the  Japanese  conjugal  life  is  not  of  the 
nature  of  a  joint  stock  company,  if  I  may  be  al- 
lowed to  use  this  commercial  metaphor,  but  that 
of  a  private  firm  owned  by  a  certain  person  who 
has  a  junior  partner  to  co-operate  in  business, 
the  former  retaining  still  the  sole  power  and  in- 
fluence over  the  whole  concern. 

"What  is  only  objectionable  in  the  Japanese 

married  life,  however,  has  been,  and  still  is,  I  am 

afraid,  the  abuse  of  this  liberty  and  right  of  the 

husband,  and,  still  worse,  recognizing  the  abuses 

262 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

as  a  matter  of  course.  Unfortunately,  the  ine- 
quality of  the  Japanese  husband  and  wife  in  their 
rights  and  liberties  is  rather  excessive.  Every 
restriction  is  imposed  on  her.  Every  submission 
is  expected  from  her.  She  has  to  wait  upon  him 
at  meals  in  the  absence  of  servants.  She  has  to 
salute  him  first  on  every  occasion,  and  he  mere- 
ly returns  her  salutation.  She  walks,  sits,  eats, 
sleeps,  all  after  him,  and  rises  before  him  in  the 
morning.  She  has  to  sit  up  and  wait  until  any 
hour,  in  principle,  but  up  to  a  reasonable  time 
in  practice,  when  he  is  out.  She  addresses  him 
as  Danna  Sama,  or  "My  Lord;"  whereas  he 
calls  her  by  name.  If  any  friend  of  the  husband 
calls,  while  he  is  conversing  with  the  visitor  in 
the  drawing  room,  the  wife,  in  the  next  room, 
has  to  attend  to,  or  superintend  a  servant  in 
serving  the  guest  with  futon,  or  cushion,  Taba- 
ko-bon,  or  smoking-tray,  Hibachi,  or  fire-box, 
tea,  and  cake;  but  she  seldom  joins  in  the  con- 
versation unless  the  visitor  be  a  lady.  House- 
keeping is  her  sole  duty  and  responsibility,  gov- 
erning and  directing  the  whole  of  the  household 
affairs ;  but  this  is  done  rather  for  the  benefit  of 
the  husband  than  for  herself.  In  arranging 
rooms,  preparing  meals,  employing  servants, 
shopping,  all  his  ideas,  his  tastes,  his  will,  his 
requirements,  are  thought  of  first  by  the  wife. 
"The  subordination  of  the  wife  to  the  husband 
cannot  be  perfected  by  one  day's  training.  From 
263 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

her  early  childhood  the  girl  is  trained  up  in  one 
direction  only,  that  of  obedience  and  faithful- 
ness, as,  in  Japan  every  girl  is  supposed  to  be 
destined  to  be  married. 

"  Miss  Bacon  recognizes,  in  her  admirable 
book  entitled  '  Japanese  Girls  and  Women,'  that 
'the  Japanese  woman  is,  under  this  discipline, 
a  finished  product  at  the  age  of  sixteen  or 
eighteen.  She  is  kind,  sweet  and  amiable,  with 
greater  power  of  self-control,  and  a  knowledge 
of  what  is  right  to  do  upon  all  occasions.'  If 
this  perfection  be  the  result  of  the  restrictive 
measures  applied  in  her  training,  why  should 
not  we  adopt  similar  measures  with  the  husband 
as  well  ?  I  suggest,  therefore,  instead  of  the 
emancipation  of  women  that  the  repression  of 
men  may  be  the  preferable  measure  for  Japan. 

"No  Japanese  woman,  however  wealthy  at 
her  birth,  brings  any  dowry  to  her  husband's 
house  at  her  marriage  other  than  her  wedding 
trousseau.  This  is  simply  because  she  comes  to 
live  under  the  roof  of  the  husband's  house,  and 
makes  no  independent  home  for  herself.  Hence 
her  life  is  entirely  dependent  upon  her  husband, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  if  any  man  marry  a  girl 
on  condition  of  her  bringing  a  dowry,  he  is  con- 
sidered morally  mean  and  unmanly. 

"  Like  marriage,  divorce  in  Japan  is  entirely 
conducted  by  the  family  tribunal,  and  no  judi- 


264 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

cial  proceedings  are  required  for  it.  The  only 
legal  forms  in  the  matter  are  the  two  following  : 
The  husband  gives  to  the  disunited  wife  Ri  Yen 
Fo,  or  the  letter  of  divorcement,  which  invari- 
ably consists  of  only  three  lines  and  a  half  of 
writing.  Hence  the  phrase  '  Mi  kudari  han,'  or 
the  '  three  lines  and  a  half,'  became  the  repre- 
sentative term  of  divorce.  No  superstitious 
person  would  write  an  ordinary  letter  the  same 
length  as  that  of  that  unlucky  document.  The 
second  necessary  formality  is  to  report  the 
unfortunate  event  to  the  local  registrar's  office, 
and  remove  the  name  of  the  discarded  wife 
from  the  registered  membership  of  the  hus- 
band's family.  These  two  steps,  in  theory,  suf- 
fice to  sever  the  sacred  union.  Hence,  one 
might  infer  the  Japanese  divorce  to  be  as 
easy  in  practice  as  in  its  formal  proceedings. 
But  the  actual  state  of  the  matter  is  very  differ- 
ent from  the  supposition. 

"  Although  the  Japanese  divorce  requires  no 
such  elaborate  public  proceedings  as  in  Eng- 
land, it  is  never  settled  by  the  parties  them- 
selves, except  perhaps  among  the  lowest  classes, 
who  may  separate  as  easily  as  they  unite.  The 
reasons  of  the  disagreement  between  the  parties 
must  first  of  all  be  submitted  to  the  parents 
and  the  Nakadochi  (the  go-betweens),  who  try 
their  best  to  allay  the  conflict,  and  advise  the 


265 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

parties  not  jto  take  such  a  scandalous  course; 
if  this  preliminary  pacification  should  not  be 
successful,  then  the  case  may  be  brought  before 
the  other  relatives  of  the  husband  and  wife.  At 
this  family  conference  the  case  may  be  thor- 
oughly examined,  and  the  consequences  of  the 
separation  fully  discussed  with  prudence  and 
justice,  and  the  final  decision  may  be  given  to 
the  effect  either  of  reunion  or  separation. 

"  It  is  also  generally  said  that  owing  to  its 
simple  and  easy  process,  there  is  statistically  an 
alarming  number  of  divorces  in  Japan.  This 
assertion  also  needs  a  little  rectification.  The 
cases  of  so-called  Ri  yen  may  be  more  numerous 
in  Japan  than  so-called  divorces  in  England  ; 
but  one  point  must  not  be  forgotten,  that  there 
are  no  such  practices  in  Japan  as  judicial  sep- 
aration and  private  separation,  which  may  num- 
ber as  many  if  not  more  than  the  divorces. 
Reformation  on  these  points  is  one  of  the  imme- 
diate needs  of  the  nation.  Happily,  the  forth- 
coming civil  code  is  expected  to  aim  at  bring- 
ing this  customary  usage  into  closer  conformity 
with  European  ideas  in  this  respect.  The 
present  government,  fully  recognizing  the  un- 
questionable necessity  of  reconstituting  and 
reforming  both  the  family  and  social  organiza- 
tions in  conformity  with  the  demands  of  the 
progressive  age,  and  for  the  advancement  of 


266 


Marriage  and  Divorce 

the  national  welfare  and  prosperity,  began  more 
than  ten  years  ago  the  responsible  work  of  the 
codification  of  the  civil  and  commercial  laws, 
with  the  invaluable  assistance  of  several  emi- 
nent jurists  of  England,  Germany,  America 
and  particularly  France." 


267 


X 

Japanese  Journalism 

The  Japanese  are  well  supplied  with  news- 
papers in  their  own  language.  When  modern 
institutions  were  introduced  into  Japan  and  popu- 
lar suffrage  elected  a  parliament,  journalism  came 
with  a  rush,  and  it  seemed  as  if  almost  everybody 
who  was  possessed  of  a  political  ambition  and  a 
sufficient  sum  of  money  to  buy  type  and  presses 
started  an  organ  to  proclaim  his  views  to  the 
people.  Many  of  these  endeavors  were  short 
lived,  and  monthly,  weekly  and  daily  publica- 
tions rose  and  fell  for  five  or  six  years  like  toad- 
stools in  the  forest.  The  survival  of  the  fittest 
has  left  Japan  with  a  superabundance  of  political 
journals  and  a  sufficient  number  of  other  peri- 
odicals devoted  to  literature,  science  and  art. 

There  are  nearly  600  newspapers  in  the 
empire  and  seventeen  or  eighteen  political  dailies 
in  the  city  of  Tokyo  alone,  which  represent  the 
several  factions  into  which  suffrage  has  divided 
the  people.  The  subscription  lists  of  some  are 
decidedly  small  and  are  limited  to  the  personal 
and  political  adherents  of  the  editor  or  the 
268 


Japanese  Journalism 

leader  in  whose  interest  it  is  published.  Such 
publications  have  their  largest  circulation  through 
copies  distributed  free  for  the  purpose  of  affect- 
ing public  opinion. 

The  papers  with  the  largest  subscription  lists 
are  those  which  support  the  government,  and 
are  edited  under  the  direction  of  the  ministry. 
One  of  them,  the  Asahi  Shimpo,  which  is  pub- 
lished simultaneously  at  Osaka  and  Tokyo,  is 
said  to  have  a  circulation  of  300,000  daily,  and 
is  edited  with  great  ability  and  truly  American 
enterprise.  The  name  in  English  means  Rising 
Sun  (Asahi),  News  Announcement  (Shimpo). 
There  are  several  with  a  circulation  of  20,000  or 
more  each,  representing  different  political 
parties,  but  10,000  or  15,000  copies  is  considered 
a  profitable  patronage. 

The  cost  of  running  a  paper  in  Japan  is  very 
low,  as  the  best  printers  and  pressmen  do  not 
receive  half  as  much  wages  as  the  'prentice  boys 
in  the  United  States.  The  foreman  of  the  com- 
posing-room of  the  wealthiest  newspaper  in 
Japan  is  paid  about  as  much  as  the  boy  who 
brings  dispatches  from  the  telegraph  office  to 
the  editorial  room  in  our  country.  But  the  sub- 
scription and  advertising  rates  are  nearly  as 
high  as  those  ordinarily  charged  with  us.  The 
average  daily  sells  on  the  street  for  five  sen, 
which  is  equal  to  two  and  a  half  cents  in  gold, 
and  the  best  ones  bring  ten  sen,  which  is  equal 
269 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

to  five  cents  in  our  money.  Regular  subscribers 
are  served  for  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  cents 
(gold)  a  month,  and  the  price  per  year  varies 
from  $6  to  $10  (gold). 

The  number  of  attaches  connected  with  the 
Japanese  newspapers  is  large,  but  their  compen- 
sation is  correspondingly  small.  A  good  re- 
porter would  be  glad  to  get  a  salary  of  five  dol- 
lars a  week,  while  a  managing  editor  would  be 
perfectly  satisfied  with  $12  or  $13.  Some  of 
the  reporters  are  paid  as  low  as  two  dollars  a 
week,  and  political  writers  and  other  members 
of  the  editorial  staff  generally  receive  from  four 
dollars  to  ten  dollars  a  week,  according  to  their 
ability  and  reputation. 

The  editor-in-chief,  or  the  director,  as  he  is 
called,  is  generally  a  politician,  a  man  who  has 
been  or  hopes  to  be  a  member  of  parliament  or 
a  cabinet  minister,  and  the  ardor  with  which  his 
paper  attacks  or  sustains  a  party  in  power 
usually  indicates  his  opinion  of  his  own  pros- 
pects. 

Mr.  Fukuzawa,  the  editor  of  Jiji  Shimpo,  the 
leading  independent  paper  of  Tokyo,  and  in 
some  respects  the  ablest  journal  in  the  East,  is 
perhaps  the  most  remarkable  man  in  Japan.  He 
is  called  "The  Great  Commoner,"  and  is  usually 
compared  to  John  Bright,  but  is  more  like  Hor- 
ace Greeley.  He  is  both  an  editor  and  school- 
master by  trade. 

270 


Japanese  Journalism 

The  Keio  Gijiku,  a  college  of  which  he  is  the 
owner  and  president,  is  the  most  famous  private 
institution  in  the  land,  and  was  the  first  of  the 
native  schools  to  adopt  the  modern  foreign  sys- 
tem of  education.  He  has  about  1,500  young 
men  under  his  immediate  charge  studying  the 
sciences,  law,  medicine,  engineering,  political 
economy,  art,  music  and  other  branches  of  learn- 
ing, and  his  vigorous  personality  pervades  the 
entire  institution.  He  teaches  no  special  line  of 
studies  himself,  but  occupies  a  unique  position. 
He  lives  in  the  school,  associates  intimately  with 
the  boys,  treats  them  as  if  they  were  his  own 
sons,  assumes  a  general  direction  of  matters  of 
amusement,  discipline  and  study,  and  is  likely 
to  drop  into  a  class-room  at  any  time  and  de- 
liver a  lecture  to  the  students  on  the  lesson  of 
the  day  or  on  any  other  subject  that  may  enter 
his  mind.  Every  week  or  so  he  assembles  the 
students  in  the  lecture-room  and  talks  to  them 
for  an  hour  or  two  on  politics,  history,  morals  or 
the  topic  which  is  uppermost  in  his  thoughts  at 
that  particular  time.  He  is  a  powerful  orator, 
without  a  superior  and  with  few  equals  in  Japan, 
and  when  the  spirit  moves  him  he  often  hires  a 
hall  and  delivers  a  public  address  on  a  political 
issue  or  any  other  idea  that  may  be  occupying 
the  minds  of  the  people. 

Unselfish,  eccentric,  original,  eloquent,  sin- 
cere and  patriotic,  whether  in  the  editorial  chair, 
271 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

upon  the  lecture  platform  or  in  his  school,  Mr. 
Fukuzawa  is  undoubtedly  the  most  influential 
private  citizen  in  the  empire.  He  has  repeatedly 
refused  office,  although  three  times  invited  to  a 
place  in  the  ministry,  and  a  dozen  times  or  more 
proposed  as  a  candidate  for  parliament,  and  has 
even  rejected  a  title  of  nobility  and  several  dec- 
orations that  have  been  offered  him  by  the  em- 
peror. When  the  present  cabinet  was  formed 
he  was  slated  as  minister  of  education,  but  re- 
fused that  honor  as  he  has  refused  all  others, 
because,  as  he  told  me,  he  did  not  want  his 
hands  to  be  tied.  He  prefers  to  stay  outside  the 
government,  where  he  can  throw  stones.  He 
belongs  to  no  particular  political  party,  but  is 
thoroughly  independent,  and  is  supporting  and 
opposing  the  government  by  turns,  as  it  happens 
to  meet  his  approval  or  disapproval.  He  is  not 
always  consistent,  and  declares  that  it  is  an  evi- 
dence of  sincerity  when  a  man  changes  his 
mind.  He  has  always  been  an  earnest  advocate 
of  the  introduction  of  foreign  methods  and 
modern  ideas  into  Japan,  is  an  apostle  of  relig- 
ious tolerance,  and,  although  professing  no  re- 
ligion himself,  declares  that  Christianity  is  the 
handmaid  of  civilization,  and  the  education  of 
the  common  people  is  the  only  method  of  per- 
petuating good  government. 

Mr.  Fukuzawa's  sons  have  the  actual  editorial 
and  business  management  of  his  paper,  but  it 
272 


Japanese  Journalism 

seldom  appears  without  an  editorial  from  his 
vigorous  pen ;  and  he  always  writes  it  before 
breakfast.  Like  Horace  Greeiey,  he  is  an  early 
riser,  and  when  the  larks  are  singing  their 
morning  hymn  in  the  groves  of  Azabu  he  is 
sitting  at  his  desk  denouncing  some  great  wrong 
or  advocating  some  great  reform  with  an  ardor 
and  emphasis  that  are  peculiarly  his  own.  Then 
when  the  last  line  of  copy  is  finished  Mr. 
Fukuzawa  goes  to  a  shed  behind  his  stables  and 
pounds  rice  for  an  hour  or  so  —  which  is  his 
daily  exercise — just  as  the  great  American 
editor  used  to  chop  wood. 

The  existence  of  a  bureau  of  censorship  has 
a  tendency  to  moderate  the  expression  of  views 
on  the  part  of  the  opposition  papers.  When  I 
arrived  in  Japan  in  May,  1895,  shortly  after  the 
ratification  of  the  treaty  of  peace  and  the  sur- 
render of  the  Liao  Tung  peninsula,  eleven  of 
the  seventeen  dailies  in  Tokyo  had  suspended 
publication  at  the  request  of  the  police  because 
of  indiscreet  comments  concerning  the  policy  of 
the  government. 

The  system  is  different  there  from  that  in 
other  countries.  In  Europe  a  publisher  is  re- 
quired to  submit  proof  sheets  of  the  matter  he 
intends  to  publish  to  an  agent  of  the  bureau  of 
censorship,  who  occupies  a  desk  in  his  office, 
and  when  the  latter  places  the  word  "  forbid- 
den "  with  a  rubber  stamp  upon  the  face  of  a 
273 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

proof  the  type  is  sent  to  the  dead  galley.  In 
Japan  a  newspaper  is  allowed  to  print  whatever 
it  pleases,  and  is  afterward  punished  by  the 
police  if  its  articles  or  news  are  offensive.  It 
may  be  temporarily  or  permanently  suppressed. 
The  publisher  may  be  fined  or  imprisoned,  or 
both,  but  his  property  cannot  be  confiscated 
without  a  hearing  in  court.  The  imprisonment 
is  little  better  than  a  farce.  As  some  papers  in 
the  United  States  are  supposed  to  maintain  a 
fighting  editor,  so  in  Japan  there  is  a  jail  editor 
connected  with  every  establishment  which  tends 
toward  an  unlawful  freedom  of  speech.  When 
the  police  call  around  at  the  office  and  ask  for 
the  responsible  editor  they  are  referred  to  this 
gentleman,  who  is  calmly  marched  off  to  jail 
and  serves  a  term  of  imprisonment  to  atone  for 
an  offense  he  is  known  not  to  have  committed. 
His  employer,  who  actually  wrote  or  directed 
the  writing  of  the  offensive  publication,  in  the 
meantime  continues  to  occupy  his  seat  in  parlia- 
ment and  tiffin  at  his  club.  Everybody  knows 
that  the  man  in  jail  is  a  scapegoat,  and  that  he 
is  employed  solely  for  that  purpose. 

There  are  four  English  dailies  published  in 
Yokohama  and  three  more  in  other  parts  of  the 
empire.  There  is  one  weekly  society  paper 
edited  by  an  American.  It  is  called  the  "  Box 
of  Curios,"  and  was  originally  an  advertising 
medium  for  dealers  in  bric-a-brac  for  free  dis- 
274 


Japanese  Journalism 

tribution  among  the  tourist  hotels,  but  it  was  so 
successful  that  the  editor  enlarged  it  and  charged 
a  subscription  fee.  It  is  bright  and  entertaining 
and  given  to  personalities  and  gossip  about  the 
members  of  the  foreign  colony  and  distinguished 
visitors,  who  buy  copies  to  send  to  their  friends 
at  home. 

The  other  papers  are  edited  by  British  sub- 
jects, and  are  devoted  to  British  interests.  The 
Japanese  Mail,  the  most  important  and  widely 
circulated,  receives  an  indirect  subsidy  from  the 
Japanese  government  in  the  form  of  a  perma- 
nent subscription  for  several  thousand  copies, 
and  is  intended  to  keep  the  foreign  newspapers 
properly  informed  as  to  political  affairs  in 
the  empire.  Its  editor,  Captain  Brinkley, 
is  a  retired  British  army  officer,  who  has  lived 
many  years  in  Japan,  has  a  Japanese  wife, 
speaks,  reads  and  writes  the  language  fluently, 
and  is  considered  the  best  authority  on  Japa- 
nese art  among  the  foreign  residents.  He 
has  the  confidence  of  the  ministry  as  well  as  the 
public,  and  exercises  considerable  influence  per- 
sonally as  well  as  through  his  paper. 

The  other  English  papers  are  more  or  less 
opposed  to  the  policy  of  the  government,  and 
carry  on  spirited  debates  with  the  editor  of  the 
Mail.  Some  of  them,  no  doubt,  intend  to  be 
fair  and  impartial,  but  others  are  inclined  to 
spitefulness  and  print  what  the  Japanese  papers 
275 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

are  not  permitted  to  publish.  Their  circulation 
is  limited.  The  subscription  price  is  $i  a  month, 
and  single  copies  are  sold  for  20  sen  (10  cents). 
The  weekly  editions,  which  contain  summaries 
of  the  news  and  leading  editorials,  are  $14  a 
year  and  50  sen  (25  cents)  a  number.  Their 
advertising  patronage,  which  comes  from  the 
steamship  companies  and  foreign  tradesmen, 
enables  them  to  live.  None  of  them  take  cable 
dispatches,  but  depend  entirely  upon  the  Japan- 
ese journals  for  their  news. 

Their  devotion  to  British  commercial  interests 
in  Japan  is  consistent  and  commendable,  and 
they  exercise  considerable  influence  upon  trade. 
They  are  equally  consistent  in  their  hostility  to 
everything  that  is  American,  and  never  lose  an 
opportunity  to  depreciate  and  discourage  all 
that  concerns  the  interests  of  the  United  States. 
This  is  recognized  by  the  public  and  the  officials 
of  the  government,  and  therefore  it  does  com- 
paratively little  harm,  but  constant  hammering 
cannot  but  leave  an  impression,  and  there  ought 
to  be  some  newspaper  in  Japan  devoted  to  Ameri- 
can interests.  The  manufacturers  of  the  United 
States  could  well  afford  to  pay  the  expense  of 
a  publication  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  their 
merchandise  to  the  attention  of  the  Japanese, 
and  keeping  the  people  informed  as  to  the  pro- 
gress of  events  in  America.  I  was  assured  by  a 
prominent  official  of  the  Japanese  government 
276 


Japanese  Journalism 

that  a  liberal  subsidy,  similar  to  that  given  the 
Mail,  would  be  paid  to  assist  in  sustaining  a  re- 
putable and  well-edited  American  newspaper  for 
its  usefulness  in  keeping  Japanese  affairs  prop- 
erly before  the  American  people. 

The  British  also  enjoy  a  decided  advantage 
over  Americans  in  the  matter  of  trade  in  Japan 
in  the  simple  fact  that  they  advertise  their  inter- 
ests. Their  manufacturers  publish  catalogues 
in  the  Japanese  language  with  detailed  descrip- 
tions of  their  goods  and  illustrations  that  are  at 
once  attractive  and  informing.  I  found  dozens 
of  catalogues  of  British  firms  published  in  the 
native  language,  but  not  one  from  any  institu- 
tion in  America.  Johnny  Bull  is  very  much 
more  enterprising  than  Uncle  Sam  in  this  re- 
spect. He  realizes  the  value  of  such  agencies  in 
extending  his  foreign  trade.  England  has  the 
lion's  share  of  the  imports  of  the  Japanese  mar- 
ket because  she  has  made  such  intelligent  efforts 
to  place  her  goods.  The  representatives  of  her 
export  interests  are  always  on  the  lookout  for 
opportunities  to  benefit  themselves,  and  use 
them  promptly  and  intelligently. 

Another  important  matter  which  cannot  be 
too  strongly  urged  upon  the  attention  of  those 
whom  it  may  concern,  is  the  entire  absence  of 
telegraphic  news  from  America  in  the  Japanese 
papers.  They  have  plenty  of  trivial  information, 
from  England  chiefly,  and  from  other  parts  of 
277 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

Europe  to  a  limited  degree,  but  one  who  reads 
nothing  but  their  own  news  columns  would 
never  know  that  there  was  such  a  place  as  the 
United  States.  For  at  least  three  months  in 
1895  I  took  notes  of  the  telegraphic  news  in  the 
Japanese  papers,  and  the  only  dispatch  from  the 
United  States  was  under  a  London  date  and 
read  as  follows  : 

"A  free-silver  convention  has  been  held  at  Memphis 
(U.  S.).  Two  thousand  one  hundred  of  the  delegates 
present  advocated  the  rehabilitation  of  silver  at  the 
ratio  of  16  to  I." 

There  was  no  reference  in  the  cable  news 
service  to  the  death  of  Secretary  Gresham  nor 
to  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Olney  as  his  suc- 
cessor. Brief  announcements  of  both  events 
were  furnished  the  press  at  Tokyo  by  the  Amer- 
ican minister.  At  the  same  time  we  had  detailed 
information  as  to  the  movements  of  the  Bedou- 
ins at  Jiddah,  the  entertainments  that  were 
offered  Shazada  Nazrullah,  the  second  son  of 
the  ameer  of  Afghanistan,  in  London,  full  ac- 
counts of  cricket  matches  played  at  Gloucester 
and  Middlesex,  and  were  advised  by  cable  that 
Mr.  Grace,  who  made  169  runs,  received  a  great 
ovation  and  a  letter  of  congratulation  from  the 
prince  of  Wales  and  that  a  national  cricket  tes- 
timonial had  been  proposed  for  his  benefit. 

Reuter's  agency  informed  us  fully  concerning 
the  parliamentary  election  in  England;  that 
278 


Japanese  Journalism 

Mr.  W.  Saunders,  liberal,  from  Walworth,  would 
not  be  a  candidate  again,  and  that  Mr.  B.  F. 
Williams,  the  unionist  candidate  for  West  Dorset 
was  likely  to  be  elected  by  an  increased  majority. 
We  had  excellent  reports  of  the  debate  over  the 
right  of  a  peer  to  sit  in  the  house  of  commons, 
and  abstracts  of  speeches  by  Sir  William  Vernon 
Harcourt  at  a  banquet  in  Liverpool,  where  he 
asserted  that  there  was  a  great  depression  in 
England,  notably  in  agriculture,  but  some  signs 
of  improvement.  We  learned  all  about  Oscar 
Wilde's  trial,  and  the  circumstances  under  which 
Arthur  Orton,  the  Tichborne  claimant,  confessed 
himself  a  fraud.  We  kept  track  of  Lord  Rose- 
bery  on  his  yachting  tour,  and  knew  that  Adelina 
Patti  would  entertain  the  duke  and  duchess  of 
York.  The  sale  of  the  jewels  of  the  duchess  of 
Montrose  was  fully  reported,  as  was  the  trial  of 
Jabez  Balfour  in  the  Bow  street  police  court. 
We  were  informed  regularly  concerning  the 
opinion  of  the  London  Times  on  the  various 
public  questions  of  the  day,  and  had  a  long  dis- 
patch about  a  proposition  to  give  extra  pay  to 
the  British  troops  in  Chitral,  but  stirring  events 
in  our  own  country  were  never  referred  to. 

From  France  the  news  was  not  so  profuse, 
but  similar.  For  example,  we  learned  by  cable 
that  a  woman  named  Amelot,  a  "  folle  mystique," 
assassinated  the  Abbe  de  Broglie,  brother  of  the 
Due  de  Broglie ;  that  a  military  school  of  medi- 
279 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

cine  was  to  be  established  at  Lyons ;  that  Gen. 
Zurlindere  had  publicly  reaffirmed  his  belief 
in  the  soundness  of  the  French  military  system; 
that  M.  Ribot  had  submitted  the  annual  budget 
to  the  chamber  of  deputies  with  various  details 
thereof,  and  we  had  an  excellent  account  of  the 
robbery  of  a  railway  office  in  the  interior  of 
France  by  means  of  false  keys. 

Cablegrams  of  a  similar  nature  are  received 
daily  by  the  Japanese  papers  from  Germany, 
Italy  and  Austria,  and  now  and  then  something 
from  Belgium  and  other  European  countries, 
but  never  a  word  from  the  United  States.  All 
this  has  its  effect  in  keeping  up  an  association 
between  the  Japanese  and  the  countries  of  Europe, 
and  the  absence  of  intelligence  from  the  United 
States  naturally  suggests  that  the  great  Ameri- 
can republic  is  of  too  little  importance  to  de- 
serve public  notice.  All  of  the  news  agencies 
that  serve  the  papers  are  under  British  influence 
and  control,  and  it  is  their  policy  to  ignore  the 
United  States  so  far  as  possible. 

The  founder  of  Japanese  journalism  was  an 
Englishman,  Mr.  John  Black,  one  of  the  earliest 
foreign  residents  of  Yokohama.  There  were 
periodicals  printed  before  the  restoration,  but 
they  were  purely  literary,  and  contained  poems, 
stories,  historical  articles,  political  essays,  narra- 
tives of  travel  and  other  contributions  and  facts 
of  general  interest,  but  nothing  like  news.  And 
280 


Japanese  Journalism 

some  of  the  job  printers  were  in  the  habit  of 
printing  from  wooden  blocks  small  bulletins 
whenever  some  horrible  murder  or  disaster  or 
other  sensational  event  took  place.  They  were 
brief  and  irregular,  and  were  not  delivered  to 
subscribers,  but  only  sold  on  the  street.  Some- 
times men  who  had  exclusive  information  of 
such  a  kind  would  write  it  out  themselves  or 
hire  some  literary  man  to  write  it  for  them,  then 
take  the  manuscript  to  a  job  printing  office  and 
have  so  many  hundred  or  thousand  copies 
" struck  off,"  which  they  would  sell  for  their  own 
profit  by  sending  carriers  through  the  streets. 

It  was  not  until  1871  that  anything  resembling 
a  newspaper  was  issued.  Then  appeared  a  politi- 
cal pamphlet  somewhat  resembling  the  modern 
American  railway  folder,  which  was  published  at 
regular  intervals  in  the  interest  of  Kido,  a  promi- 
nent politician.  It  was  called  the  Zasshi-Shimbun, 
or,  "the  political  newspaper."  The  Nasshin-Shin- 
jishi,  started  by  Mr.  Black  in  1872,  was,  how- 
ever, the  first  journalistic  venture  devoted  to 
news  and  dependent  upon  the  public  for  sup- 
port. Then,  as  the  spirit  of  enterprise  devel- 
oped, the  empire  was  overwhelmed  with  a  mul- 
titude of  newspapers.  Within  a  few  years  more 
than  six  hundred  were  published  in  various  cities 
of  the  country.  The  contents  of  most  of  them 
were  limited  to  editorial  discussion  of  public 
questions,  and  represented  the  views  of  ambitious 
281 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

politicians.  But  as  the  same  laws  apply  to  news- 
papers as  to  natural  history,  the  weak  ones  died 
and  the  strong  ones  were  preserved  to  exert  an 
influence  upon  the  social  and  political  revolution 
that  regenerated  Japan,  perhaps  more  extensive 
than  the  editorial  profession  have  ever  exercised 
in  any  other  country. 

It  is  said  that  the  Buddhist  priests  brought 
the  art  of  printing  into  Japan  from  China,  and 
it  is  probably  true.  The  earliest  example  of 
printing  extant  are  Buddhist  charms  and  amu- 
lets which  the  Empress  Shotoku  caused  to  be 
distributed  among  the  temples  in  the  year  770. 
You  can  see  these  ancient  slips  in  the  museums. 
The  oldest  printed  book  known  in  Japan  was 
produced  in  1198.  The  Precepts  of  Confucius 
were  printed  in  1364.  The  first  work  of  impor- 
tance to  appear  in  print  was  the  Nihongi,  which 
contains  the  mythology  and  early  history  of  the 
empire,  said  to  have  been  composed  in  720,  but 
the  earliest  existing  editions  are  dated  1599.  A 
collection  of  poems  entitled  "Manyoshu,"  dating 
from  the  middle  of  the  eighth  century  was  also 
printed  about  the  same  time.  All  of  these  books 
were  reproduced  from  engraved  blocks.  Metal- 
lic type  were  not  introduced  into  Japan  until 
1870,  and  block  printing  is  not  entirely  aban- 
doned. You  still  find  it  used  in  the  country 
towns,  and  the  Peking  Gazette,  the  official  organ 
of  the  Chinese  government,  and  the  oldest 
282 


Japanese  Journalism 

newspaper  in  the  world,  is  yet  printed  daily  from 
engraved  blocks  in  the  same  form  and  style  in 
which  it  has  appeared  for  more  than  eight  hun- 
dred years.  It  is  a  little  pamphlet  of  twenty- 
four  pages,  about  three  by  nine  inches  in  size, 
with  leaves  of  very  thin  rice  paper,  and  a  cover 
of  yellow — the  imperial  color — of  a  little  heavier 
weight.  The  cover  bears  an  ancient  title,  and 
the  seal  or  imprint  of  the  printer.  The  last  page 
is  the  first,  and  you  read  from  right  to  left  in- 
stead of  from  left  to  right  as  with  us.  The  first 
paragraphs  in  the  book  are  court  announce- 
ments. Then  come  the  imperial  decrees,  then 
the  full  text  or  abstracts  of  memorials  that  have 
been  submitted  to  the  emperor,  and  have  been 
or  are  being  considered,  and  finally  such  an- 
nouncements of  future  events  as  are  considered 
important  to  the  public. 

A  Japanese  editor  writes  with  a  long  brush 
similar  to,  but  a  little  larger  than,  a  camel's  hair 
pencil,  which  he  dips  into  ink  that  he  makes  as 
he  needs  it.  The  Japanese  writing  apparatus  is 
lacquer  tray  with  a  little  compartment  for 
brushes  of  different  sizes,  a  liny  jar  of  water,  a 
cake  of  what  we  call  India  ink,  and  a  little  por- 
celain tablet  with  a  shallow  reservoir  in  the  top. 
Before  commencing  a  letter  or  an  article  the 
editor  moistens  the  cake  of  ink  in  the  jar  of 
water  and  rubs  it  upon  the  porcelain.  This 
leaves  a  sediment  of  intense  black,  which  is 
283 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

diluted  to-  the  proper  consistency  by  dipping 
the  brush  into  the  water  and  stirring  it  again. 
His  stationery  is  a  roll  of  paper  six  or  eight 
inches  wide,  and  his  brush  moves  from  right  to 
left  instead  of  from  left  to  right,  as  with  us. 

All  the  government  engraving,  lithographing 
and  printing,  including  the  manufacture  of  bank 
bills  and  postage  and  revenue  stamps  in  Japan 
is  done  at  an  institution  known  by  the  simple 
and  expressive  name  of  Insetsukioku.  It  occu- 
pies a  fine  building  of  French  architecture, 
recently  erected  and  equipped  with  all  the  im- 
provements and  conveniences  of  a  well-ordered 
printing  office,  whose  capacity  is  insufficient  and 
the  increasing  business  has  caused  an  overflow 
into  a  number  of  ancient  and  ill-arranged  struc- 
tures that  have  long  occupied  the  densely  shaded 
grounds  that  were  once  the  abode  of  a  prince. 
The  employes  wear  uniforms  of  white  cotton 
while  at  work,  which  are  changed  for  their  ordi- 
nary street  dress  when  they  leave  the  building. 
Many,  perhaps  two-thirds  of  them,  are  women 
and  girls,  who  look  very  neat  and  orderly  in 
their  scanty  raiment,  for  it  is  but  a  single  gar- 
ment, without  buttons,  only  held  together  by  a 
girdle  around  the  waist,  and  discloses  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  their  person,  which  in  other 
countries  it  is  considered  modest  to  conceal. 
But  their  unconscious  innocence  feels  no  shame. 

Upon  the  left  arm  of  each  employe  is  a  series 
284 


Japanese  Journalism 

of  short  stripes  of  red,  which  indicate  rank  and 
length  of  service.  Some  of  them  have  four,  five 
and  six  stripes,  showing  that  they  are  veterans. 
The  foremen  or  forewomen  of  the  several 
divisions  have  another  distinctive  badge. 

The  machinery  is  mostly  of  French  and  Ger- 
man manufacture.  Much  of  it  was  made  in 
Japan  upon  stolen  patents,  for  the  government 
has  only  to  buy  one  press  or  piece  of  apparatus. 
The  ingenious  machinists  of  the  country  will 
produce  as  many  copies  as  are  needed  without 
eompunction  or  lack  of  skill,  although  Japanese 
imitations  are  not  always  as  durable  as  the 
models.  I  could  only  find  one  machine  from 
the  United  States,  and  that  was  a  big  trimming 
knife  in  the  bindery.  The  secretary  and  assist- 
ant superintendent,  who  showed  us  around,  said 
that  there  was  no  objection  to  American  ma- 
chinery. They  agreed  that  the  best  presses  in 
the  world  were  made  in  the  United  States,  but 
the  institution  was  organized  and  equipped  by 
Europeans  under  contract,  and  they  naturally 
preferred  what  they  were  familiar  with. 

The  government  makes  its  own  inks,  type 
and  other  supplies,  and  has  a  mill  in  the  suburbs 
of  Tokyo  at  which  every  grade,  from  the  finest 
bond  to  ordinary  printing  paper,  is  manufac- 
tured. The  Japanese,  as  we  all  know,  make  the 
best  papers  in  the  world.  There  are  machine 
shops  connected  with  the  Insetsukioku,  at  which 
285 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

all  repairs- are  made  and  conventional  machinery, 
and  nothing  is  bought  abroad  except  an  occa- 
sional press  or  some  recent  improvement,  which, 
as  I  have  said,  is  immediately  imitated. 

The  natives  make  excellent  engravers,  and 
have  the  highest  degree  of  artistic  skill  and 
taste.  Some  of  the  designers  are  eminent  artists, 
and  samples  of  their  work  which  were  displayed 
in  an  exhibition-room  surpassed  anything  I  have 
ever  seen  in  France  or  Germany.  But  their 
wages  are  absurdly  low.  The  highest  salary 
paid  among  the  engravers  and  artists  is  equiva- 
lent to  only  $45  a  month  in  our  money,  and  this 
commands  their  entire  time  and  talent.  The 
superintendent  of  the  institution,  who  ranks 
next  to  a  member  of  the  cabinet,  gets  about  the 
same  pay  as  the  messenger  in  the  government 
printing  office  at  Washington.  The  lowest 
wages  paid  among  the  600  employes,  is  five  sen, 
or  two  and  a  half  cents  a  day  to  the  young  girls 
who  carry  the  printed  sheets  from  the  presses  to 
the  drying-rooms,  and  hang  them  over  the  wires. 
The  average  is  twenty-four  sen,  or  twelve  cents 
a  day  in  our  money,  and  this  for  eleven  hours 
work — from  seven  in  the  morning  till  six  at 
night,  with  half  an  hour's  rest  at  noon  for  lunch- 
eon. 

The  composing  room  of  a  Japanese  printing 
office  would  appall  an  American  printer.  The 
ordinary  Japanese  vocabulary  is  represented  by 
286 


Japanese  Journalism 

4,427  different  characters  or  ideographs  and 
forty-seven  simple  characters,  known  as  kana, 
which  are  used  to  connect  and  complete  them. 
For  official  business,  such  as  the  printing  required 
by  the  executive  departments  of  the  govern- 
ment, 2,506  more  characters  are  needed,  and  to 
set  the  parliamentary  debates  5,987  more  are 
necessary,  making  a  total  of  10,920  different 
characters  in  a  single  font,  such  as  is  used  in 
the  Insetsukioku.  Nor  is  that  the  limit.  There 
are  between  14,000  and  20,000  more  ideographs 
in  the  scientific  vocabulary,  and  I  was  told  that 
it  would  require  at  least  80,000  varieties  of  let- 
ters to  answer  all  possible  demands  of  Japanese 
published  literature.  Think  of  a  printer's  case 
containing  80,000  compartments. 

The  government  is  endeavoring  to  simplify 
the  Japanese  vocabulary  and  reduce  it  to  reason- 
able limits.  A  commission  of  scholars  and 
philologists  was  appointed  some  time  ago  by 
the  minister  of  education  upon  the  recommen- 
dation of  a  national  teachers'  convention,  and 
they  are  said  to  be  making  some  progress,  al- 
though their  task  is  a  most  difficult  one.  There 
is  no  alphabet  of  the  Japanese  language,  as  we 
understand  that  term.  Each  word  is  represented 
by  a  different  character  or  ideograph,  whose 
meaning  is  modified  or  enlarged  by  the  addition 
of  a  kana  as  necessary,  used  either  as  a  prefix  or 
suffix,  or  both. 

287 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

A  font  of  Japanese  type  occupies  a  space 
about  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  square.  It  is  a  pen 
of  racks  and  cases,  arrayed  in  the  form  of  a 
hollow  square,  with  a  narrow  passage  to  afford 
an  entrance  and  exit.  The  chief  compositor 
sits  at  a  table  in  the  center  with  a  case  contain- 
ing a  supply  of  the  forty-seven  kana  before  him 
and  a  long  peculiar-looking  composing  stick  in 
his  hand.  He  cuts  his  copy  into  small  "  takes  " 
and  gives  one  to  each  of  his  five  or  six  assist- 
ants, who  are  usually  small  boys  and  girls  with 
astonishing  memories.  With  their  "takes  "held 
deftly  with  their  composing  sticks  in  their  left 
hands,  they  rush  around  and  pick  the  type  that 
are  needed  from  the  bewildering  mass  of  cases, 
singing  aloud  the  name  of  the  character  until 
they  find  it.  The  work  of  composition  is, 
therefore,  a  bedlam,  which  would  drive  an 
American  printer  out  of  his  wits. 

The  uneducated  Japanese  cannot  recognize 
the  meaning  of  a  printed  character  by  the  eye, 
but  only  by  the  ear.  Therefore  he  must  read 
aloud.  The  common  people  always  have  to 
read  their  newspapers  aloud  to  understand  them, 
formerly  all  the  children  studied  aloud,  and  a 
traveler  always  knew  when  he  was  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  a  school  by  the  sound  of  their  voices, 
the  same  as  a  sawmill  or  a  boiler  factory ;  but 
the  government  has  prohibited  this  in  the  public 
schools,  and  the  youngsters  are  taught  by  sight 
288 


Japanese  Journalism 

and  not  by  sound  in  these  days  of  modern  inno- 
vations. But  in  the  interior  you  still  find  the 
old-fashioned  method  of  learning  in  use. 

When  a  boy  has  collected  all  the  characters 
in  his  "take"  he  places  the  composing  stick 
with  the  copy  upon  the  table  before  the  chief 
compositor,  who  wears  a  big  pair  of  strong  mag- 
nifying glasses,  and  he  arranges  them  in  his 
own  stick  in  their  proper  order,  inserting  the 
kana  from  his  own  case  where  they  are  needed. 
Then  he  dumps  them  on  a  galley  and  turns 
them  over  to  the  proper  attendant,  who  pulls  a 
proof  and  takes  it  to  the  proof-reader,  who  reads 
it  aloud  while  his  assistant  holds  the  copy  and 
follows  him. 

It  is  explained  that  children  are  used  to  assist 
the  compositor  because  they  have  better  memo- 
ries than  adults,  and  their  little  fingers  are 
more  deft  in  picking  the  type  out  of  the  narrow 
little  slips.  The  extraordinary  memory  of  a 
child  compositor  is  always  amazing  to  the  stran- 
ger in  Japan.  But  the  race  has  been  trained  by 
the  experience  of  centuries  to  remember.  A 
Japanese  never  forgets  anything.  And  when 
you  realize  that  all  education  is  a  simple  matter 
of  memory  the  phenomenon  is  not  so  strange. 
Every  word  in  the  language  is  represented  by  a 
different  character,  and,  as  I  have  said,  there 
are  over  four  thousand  words  in  the  ordinary 
conversational  vocabulary.  The  vocabulary  of 
289 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

the  peasant  class  is,  of  course,  much  more  lim- 
ited and  contains  perhaps  seven  hundred  or 
eight  hundred  words.  But  to  read  an  ordinary, 
simple  book  one  must  be  able  to  recognize  at 
least  two  thousand  signs. 

The  child  in  the  primary  school  begins  by 
learning  simple  sentences,  and  commits  to  mem- 
ory every  word  sign  in  his  primer.  Then  he 
takes  a  higher  step,  a  wider  range  of  words,  as 
he  advances  into  literature,  until,  when  he  has 
reached  the  grammar  school,  his  little  mind  is 
stored  with  an  enormous  number  of  words,  and 
is  able  to  identify  the  signs  that  represent  them 
and  the  meaning  they  are  intended  to  convey. 

A  case  of  type  is  about  three  feet  long  and  two 
feet  wide,  divided  into  two  grand  divisions  by  a 
horizontal  partition.  Then  each  division  is  sub- 
divided into  equal  little  narrow  slips  just  wide 
enough  to  admit  the  type,  which  are  all  of  the 
same  size,  and  stand  on  end  with  their  faces 
upward.  This  simple  illustration  will  convey  a 
clearer  idea  than  a  verbal  description  : 


290 


Japanese  Journalism 

There  are  usually  forty  slips  in  each  division 
and  eighty  in  each  case.  The  cases  are  usually 
double,  and  therefore  contain  160  different 
characters.  On  each  rack  are  twelve  cases  and 
1,920  kinds  of  type.  So  that  twelve  racks  will 
carry  a  very  full  font  of  type,  containing  about 
23,000  characters,  sufficient  to  supply  almost 
any  demand.  The  ordinary  composing  room 
contains  about  six  racks,  or  10,000  varieties  of 
type,  with  plenty  of  room  for  sorts. 

The  Japanese  language  was  imported  from 
China,  and  was  originally  a  combination  of  pic- 
tographs.  The  original  word  for  tree  was  a  rude 
picture  of  that  object,  and  has  been  reduced  and 
simplified  by  usage  until  it  is  now  a  fixed  sign. 
Each  nation  has  made  modifications,  but  has 
built  its  own  language  upon  the  same  funda- 
mental principles.  Many  of  the  same  signs  are 
still  preserved  in  both  languages,  and  it  is  said 
that  a  Japanese  can  read  Chinese  easier  than  a 
Chinaman  can  read  Japanese.  But  in  both 
countries  the  spoken  language  is  very  different 
from  the  written  language,  and  many  people 
who  can  read  newspapers  cannot  read  books,  be- 
cause the  vocabulary  c^  the  former  is  simpler 
and  more  limited.  People  of  literary  accom- 
plishments use  terms  that  never  appear  in  the 
newspapers  and  are  not  heard  in  conversation. 

Missionaries  who  can  preach  in  Japanese 
fluently  and  can  read  the  bible  are  often  unable 
291 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

to  read  ordinary  books,  for  the  language  of  the 
scriptures  differs  widely  from  that  used  by  mod- 
ern writers.  There  are  many  missionaries  in 
Japan  who  have  never  been  able  to  conquer  the 
literary  language  of  the  country  because  they 
lack  the  power  of  memory  that  the  natives  have 
inherited,  and,  although  they  may  be  able  to 
converse  readily,  they  must  have  their  diction- 
aries beside  them  if  they  attempt  to  read  a  letter 
or  a  newspaper. 


2Q2 


XI 

Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

Mr.  Dun,  the  United  States  minister  at  Tokyo, 
told  me  that  in  his  opinion  the  outlook  for  com- 
mercial and  industrial  enterprises  was  brighter 
in  Japan  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world — 
that  there  was  no  more  profitable  field  for  invest- 
ment. Mr.  Dun  has  lived  in  Japan  almost  con- 
tinuously for  twenty-three  years  and  knows  the 
country  and  the  people.  He  went  there  in  1872 
with  General  Horace  Capron,  who  had  been 
commissioner  of  agriculture  at  Washington,  for 
the  purpose  of  organizing  an  agricultural  depart- 
ment and  establishing  an  experimental  farm  for 
the  Japanese  government.  A  number  of  other 
young  men  from  the  civil  service  at  Washington 
were  employed  at  the  same  time  to  assist  in 
modernizing  the  executive  branches  of  the  gov- 
ernment. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  United 
States  legation  for  several  years  and  was  ap- 
pointed minister  by  Mr.  Cleveland  at  the  begin- 
ning of  his  second  administration. 

Mr.  Dun  says  that  almost  every  kind  of  man- 
ufacturing pays  in  Japan,  and  there  is  an  open- 

293 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

ing  for  almost  every  sort  of  factory.  Labor  is 
so  cheap  and  so  skillful,  fuel  is  so  cheap,  and 
there  is  a  growing  demand  for  all  the  myriad 
articles  that  enter  into  the  wants  of  civilized 
men.  Manufacturing  has  been  conducted  in 
the  households  of  Japan  until  very  recently. 
Every  man  did  his  work  under  his  own  roof,  as- 
sisted by  his  wife  and  children,  and  the  latter 
usually  followed  the  trade  of  their  parents.  Fac- 
tories were  unknown,  and  they  are  very  few  in 
number  even  now,  although  they  are  increasing 
rapidly. 

The  success  of  a  manufacturing  enterprise  in 
Japan,  Mr.  Dun  says,  is  entirely  a  matter  of 
management.  Investments  are  as  safe  there  as 
anywhere  else  in  the  world,  although  there  is 
comparatively  little  foreign  capital  represented. 
All  the  railroads,  which  now  represent  a  total  of 
about  3,000  miles  and  an  investment  of  $75,- 
000,000,  were  built  with  local  capital.  Not  a 
dollar  was  borrowed  abroad,  and  there  are  very 
few  shares  or  bonds  of  Japanese  corporations 
held  by  foreign  investors.  At  the  same  time  the 
people  are  not  rich.  There  are  very  few  men  of 
large  fortunes.  I  was  told  by  a  Tokyo  banker 
that  he  knew  of  but  two  millionaires  in  Japan. 
One  made  his  money  in  coal-mining  and  the 
other  is  the  principal  owner  of  the  Nippon 
Yusen  Kaisha,  the  great  steamship  company 
which  has  nearly  100  vessels  in  its  service  and  a 
294 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

monopoly  of  the  coasting  trade.  But  there  are 
many  men  with  small  fortunes,  and  although 
wages  are  very  low,  nobody  is  very  poor.  I  did 
not  hear  of  an  almshouse  in  the  entire  empire, 
and  I  seldom  saw  a  beggar  on  the  street.  Oc- 
casionally some  poor  leper  stretches  out  his  hand 
as  you  enter  one  of  the  gilded  temples,  but  there 
isn't  a  country  in  Europe  or  America  so  free 
from  street  begging. 

The  people  as  a  rule  are  frugal,  economical 
and  manage  to  save  a  little  even  when  they  are 
working  for  10  cents  a  day.  They  have  few 
wants  and  are  temperate.  You  never  see  a 
drunken  man  in  the  street.  I  spent  four  months 
in  Japan  and  have  visited  nearly  all  of  the  prin- 
cipal cities.  The  only  intoxicated  people  I  saw 
were  a  party  of  young  fellows  dressed  in  fantas- 
tic costumes  who  were  sailing  down  the  river  in 
Osaka.  The  city  had  been  given  over  to  great 
ceremonies  and  rejoicings  over  the  return  of  the 
soldiers  it  sent  to  the  war,  and  these  young 
bloods — five  or  six  of  them — were  continuing 
their  celebration  another  day. 

This  sobriety  is  due  to  the  use  of  tea  instead 
of  liquor  as  a  beverage.  The  tea  houses  in 
Japan  take  the  place  of  saloons  and  they  are 
about  as  numerous  in  the  large  cities  as  bar- 
rooms are  in  Chicago.  But  a  pot  of  tea  that 
will  entertain  an  entire  family  can  be  bought  for 
2  sen  (i  cent  in  our  money),  which  cheers  and 
295 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

stimulates  quite  as  much  as  malt  or  alcoholic 
liquors.  The  use  of  beer  is,  however,  increasing 
so  rapidly  in  Japan  as  to  excite  apprehension, 
and  the  government  is  making  it  the  subject  of 
an  inquiry.  There  is  a  brewery  or  two  in  nearly 
every  city  of  size  and  beer  can  be  bought  at 
almost  every  tea  house. 

While  Mr.  Dun  does  not  advise  any  one  to 
invest  money  in  Japan  or  enter  into  mercantile 
or  mechanical  affairs  there,  he  recommends  those 
who  are  looking  that  way  to  make  a  careful  per- 
sonal investigation  and  consult  with  Americans 
of  experience.  No  concessions  are  necessary, 
and  foreigners  are  allowed  to  interest  themselves 
in  any  enterprise  except  mining,  although  until 
the  new  treaty  goes  into  effect  in  1899  tne7  must 
confine  themselves  to  the  treaty  ports  and  the 
limits  of  consular  jurisdiction. 

The  new  treaty,  which  was  negotiated  by 
Secretary  Gresham  and  Minister  Kurino,  in 
1894,  at  Washington,  makes  Japan  as  free  for 
foreigners  as  the  United  States,  with  the  excep- 
tion that  they  cannot  own  real  estate,  and  by  a 
straight  reading  of  the  text  it  would  seem  that 
that  is  not  prohibited.  It  provides  that  foreign- 
ers may  trade  by  wholesale  or  retail,  singly  or 
with  native  partners,  and  says  that  they  "  may 
own,  hire  and  occupy  houses,  manufactories, 
warehouses,  shops  and  premises,  and  lease  land" 
conforming  of  course  to  the  laws  and  police 
296 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

regulations  that  apply  to  them  and  the  natives 
of  the  country  alike. 

If  this  does  not  mean  that  they  may  both  own 
and  lease  real  estate  the  English  language  has 
lost  its  significance,  but  Minister  Dun  says  the 
treaty  is  intended  to  permit  people  to  own  build- 
ings but  not  the  land  they  stand  upon. 

The  treaty  also  provides  that  foreigners  shall 
enjoy  all  rights  and  privileges  enjoyed  by  natives 
"in  whatever  relates  to  residence  and  travel,  to 
the  possession  of  goods  and  effects,  to  the  suc- 
cession to  personal  estate  and  the  disposition  of 
property;"  that  they  shall  not  be  required  to 
pay  any  higher  taxes,  imposts  or  charges  than 
natives ;  that  they  may  freely  enjoy  their  own 
religion,  bury  their  dead  according  to  their  own 
rites,  and  that  they  shall  be  exempted  from  mil- 
itary service,  forced  loans  and  all  other  exac- 
tions. No  higher  duties  are  to  be  imposed  upon 
the  products  of  the  United  States  than  upon 
those  of  the  most  favored  nation,  and  there  must 
be  perfect  equality  in  the  treatment  of  Ameri- 
cans and  natives  in  the  exportation  of  merchan- 
dise. The  coasting  trade,  as  is  customary  in  all 
countries,  is  withheld  for  the  benefit  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Japan,  but  American  vessels  laden  with 
cargoes  for  more  than  one  port  are  allowed  to 
load  and  unload  wherever  they  like.  The  same 
protection  is  afforded  to  natives  and  foreigners 
in  patents  and  trademarks,  which  is  a  very  good 
297 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

thing,  because  at  present  there  is  no  patent  treaty 
between  the  two  countries  and  the  Japanese  are 
stealing  all  of  our  inventions. 

The  foreign  settlements  which  are  now  sub- 
ject to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  consuls  of  the  dif- 
ferent countries  are  to  be  incorporated  into  the 
municipalities  which  they  adjoin,  and  the  con- 
suls will  yield  control  to  the  local  officials. 

Until  now  Japan,  like  China,  Turkey,  Egypt 
and  other  countries  which  have  not  reached  a 
high  degree  of  cilization,  has  been  subjected  to 
what  is  called  the  doctrine  of  extra  terrritoriality. 
That  means  that  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States  or  England  or  any  other  civilized  nation 
residing  in  those  countries  are  subject  to  their 
own  laws,  administered  by  their  consuls  and  not 
to  the  local  authorities  or  courts.  If  an  Ameri- 
can commits  a  crime  in  Japan  to-day  he  is  tried 
before  the  United  States  consul-general,  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  and  not  by 
the  courts  and  laws  of  Japan.  The  same  is  true 
of  citizens  of  European  nations.  If  a  Japanese 
citizen  commits  a  crime  against  an  American  he 
is  tried  by  the  local  authorities.  The  general 
rule  in  civil  as  well  as  criminal  cases  is  that  the 
defendant  shall  be  tried  under  the  laws  of  his 
own  country,  and  the  plaintiff  brings  his  suit 
accordingly. 

But  Japan  thinks  she  is  sufficiently  civilized 
to  administer  justice  to  foreigners  and  has  long 
298 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

demanded  release  from  the  extra  territoriality 
restriction.  That  release  is  given  her  in  the 
treaties  that  were  made  with  England  and  the 
United  States  last  year  and  recently  with  Russia, 
but  it  does  not  go  into  effect  for  five  years  from 
date — that  is,  July  17,  1899.  By  that  time  it  is 
believed  that  all  doubt  on  the  subject  of  Japan- 
ese justice  will  be  removed.  But  this  is  a  seri- 
ous question  for  foreigners,  and  for  those  who 
intend  to  enter  business  or  invest  money  in 
Japan. 

As  a  consolation  to  those  American  residents 
who  objected  to  being  placed  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Japanese  authorities  and  courts, 
the  treaty  was  amended  in  the  United  States 
Senate  so  that  it  might  be  terminated  upon  no- 
tice at  the  end  of  one  year  if  it  was  found  to  be 
unsatisfactory.  In  other  words,  if  American  res- 
idents in  Japan  became  convinced  by  a  year's  ex- 
perience that  they  could  not  secure  proper  pro- 
tection for  their  persons  and  property  from  the 
local  authorities  and  justice  in  the  local  courts, 
they  would  be  able  upon  the  demand  of  our 
government  to  return  again  to  the  protection  of 
the  American  consul.  But  Minister  Dun  has 
discovered  that  by  somebody's  blunder  this  pro- 
vision was  so  drawn  as  to  prevent  the  termina- 
tion of  the  treaty  within  less  than  thirteen  years. 
The  language  is  as  follows: 

"This  treaty  shall  go  into  operation  on  the  17th 
299 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

day  of  July,  1899,  and  shall  remain  iu  force  for  a  period 
of  twelve  years  from  that  date. 

"  Either  high  contracting  party  shall  have  the  right 
at  any  time  thereafter  to  give  notice  to  the  other  of 
its  intention  to  terminate  the  same,  and,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  twelve  months  after  such  notice  is  given,  the 
treaty  shall  wholly  cease  and  terminate." 

This  discovery  caused  a  profound  sensation 
among  the  American  residents,  but  Minister  Dun 
does  not  think  there  is  any  occasion  for  alarm. 
On  the  contrary,  the  officials  of  the  Japanese 
foreign  office  have  given  him  cordial  and  volun- 
tary assurances  of  their  willingness  to  construe 
this  provision  as  it  was  intended  and  not  as  it 
reads. 

A  majority  of  the  American  and  British  resi- 
dents were  opposed  to  the  ratification  of  the 
treaties,  and  they  sent  many  remonstrances  to 
their  governments.  They  have  not  sufficient 
confidence  in  Japanese  justice  to  submit  their 
persons  and  properties  to  the  protection  of  the 
laws  of  this  country.  They  prefer  to  remain 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  their  consuls,  but  you 
will  find  a  great  many  of  the  opposite  opinion, 
who  believe  that  the  Japanese  laws  are  liberal 
and  their  judges  are  just.  There  is  plenty  of 
time  for  improvement,  and  before  the  treaty 
goes  into  effect  in  1899  JaPan  wiU  have  made 
great  progress  in  this  as  well  as  other  directions. 
While  one  may  sympathize  with  the  preference 
of  the  foreigners  here  to  live  under  the  laws  of 
300 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

their  own  countries,  it  is  nevertheless  the  impres- 
sion of  disinterested  observers  that  life  and 
property  are  quite  as  safe  in  Japan  as  in  Spain, 
or  Italy,  or  any  of  the  Latin-American  republics. 
There  have  been  a  few  cases  of  injustice  which 
are  cited  whenever  this  question  is  discussed — 
cases  in  which  foreigners  have  suffered  injustice 
in  the  courts  of  Japan  when  they  have  been  try- 
ing to  defend  their  rights  or  collect  dues  from 
the  government  or  Japanese  citizens,  but  the 
wonder  is  that  such  instances  are  so  few.  Ten 
times  as  many  quite  as  serious  might  be  cited 
in  which  the  United  States  government  has  been 
the  defendant,  and  which  could  never  have  oc- 
curred in  Japan  without  an  international  erup- 
tion. No  foreigner  has  ever  been  treated  by 
the  parliament  or  the  people  of  Japan  as  badly 
as  Ericsson  was  treated  by  the  government  of 
the  United  States,  and  I  might  mention  other 
similar  historical  examples. 

There  are  about  3,000  foreigners  in  Japan, 
not  including  Chinese.  The  majority  of  them 
are  Englishmen  ;  Germans  are  next  in  number. 
The  Americans  constitute  perhaps  15  per  cent, 
of  the  whole.  The  native  population  by  the 
census  of  1892  was  41,089,940,  and  for  the 
benefit  of  the  3,000  foreigners  they  have  been 
kept  in  what  is  practically  a  commercial  bondage 
since  1858,  because  in  her  treaties  made  at  the 
opening  of  Japan  to  foreign  settlement  the 
301 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

great  nations  of  the  earth  allowed  her  no  more 
authority  over  her  own  tariff  than  over  the 
stranger  within  her  gates.  She  cannot  impose 
a  higher  duty  than  5  per  cent,  on  any  foreign 
merchandise,  and  must  tax  her  farmers  to  pay 
the  expenses  of  her  government,  including  the 
best  lighthouse  system  in  the  world. 

Japan  is  the  only  country  that  does  not  tax 
foreign  ships  for  lighthouse,  harbor  or  tonnage 
dues,  and  every  foreigner  in  Japan,  no  matter 
what  amount  of  property  he  may  own  or  what 
business  he  may  be  engaged  in,  is  entirely  ex- 
empt from  all  taxation.  The  government  fur- 
nishes him  police  protection ;  he  has  the  benefit 
of  a  paid  fire  department,  and  in  most  of  the 
cities  water  and  sewerage  systems,  but  he  is  not 
required  to  contribute  anything  to  their  support. 

Japan  has  thought  for  many  years  that  she 
has  reached  a  stage  of  civilization  that  should 
justify  her  in  assuming  authority  over  all  the  in- 
habitants of  this  empire,  and  the  treaties  made 
in  1894  agree  that  she  may  do  so  at  the  end  of 
this  century.  Then  any  foreigner  may  enter 
into  any  lawful  enterprise  as  freely  as  any  citi- 
zen, but  until  that  date  it  will  be  necessary  for 
foreigners  to  confine  their  manufacturing  and 
commercial  establishments  to  the  limits  of  the 
consular  jurisdiction  or  entrust  their  interests  to 
the  care  of  native  banks  in  the  capacity  of 
trustees. 

302 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

There  are  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  for- 
eign firms  doing  business  in  Yokohama;  sixty- 
five  are  English,  thirty-five  American,  twenty- 
nine  German,  twenty  French,  twelve  Swiss.  The 
remainder  are  Italians,  Hindoos,  Chinese,  Aus- 
trians  and  Russians.  While  the  Englishmen 
command  the  largest  amount  of  capital,  and 
consequently  the  larger  proportion  of  the  trade, 
there  are  no  men  in  that  colony,  or  in  any  other 
foreign  colony  throughout  the  world,  for  that 
matter,  who  are  better  representatives  of  Ameri- 
can enterprise  and  manhood  than  Mr.  James  R. 
Morse,  president  of  the  American  Trading  com- 
pany; Mr.  B.  C.  Howard,  general  manager  of 
the  Pacific  Mail  steamship  line;  Mr.  George 
Middleton  of  Middleton  &  Co.,  Mr.  Julius  W. 
Copmann  of  the  Standard  Oil  company  and 
others  who  might  be  mentioned  with  them. 
Their  wives  are  fit  examples  of  American  woman- 
hood and  their  homes  of  American  homes. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  in  Japan,  as  elsewhere 
over  the  world,  with  the  exception  of  some  of 
the  larger  cities  of  Europe,  there  is  no  American 
banking  house,  and  our  people  have  to  do  their 
business  through  London,  Banking  pays  better 
than  it  does  in  Europe  or  America,  and  the 
business  is  expanding  every  year.  The  increase 
within  the  next  four  or  five  years  will  be  greater 
than  it  has  ever  been,  and  no  better  opportunity 


303 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

is  offered  anywhere  for  the  right  kind  of  men 
with  an  adequate  amount  of  capital. 

A  firm,  or  company,  or  individual,  before  it 
can  commence  business,  must  register  with  the 
proper  authorities  its  title  and  a  copy  of  the 
stamp  or  seal  used  instead  of  a  signature;  there 
must  also  be  a  description  of  the  nature  of  the 
business,  together  with  a  detailed  account  of  the 
capital,  securities,  and  other  financial  details. 
The  books  kept  by  the  firm  are  considered  pri- 
vate property,  but  in  certain  cases  a  court  of  law 
may  require  their  production,  or  may  appoint 
an  official  to  examine  them.  A  house  may  be 
registered  in  three  ways :  First,  as  a  Gomeik- 
waisha,  or  private  firm.  In  this  case,  the  firm 
always  goes  by  a  family  name,  and  the  business 
is  looked  upon  strictly  as  a  family  concern.  In 
such  cases  the  government  interferes  very  little 
with  its  affairs,  and  the  firm  is  left  practically 
unfettered  in  the  details  of  its  business.  But  if 
a  private  firm  of  this  kind  be  desirous  of  extend- 
ing its  business  by  inviting  the  assistance  of  cap- 
ital outside  of  the  family,  it  may,  in  Japanese 
law,  take  a  position  half  way  between  a  private 
firm  and  a  joint-stock  company.  This  is  known 
as  a  Goshikwaisha.  The  law  provides  for  the 
protection  of  the  capital  thus  invited  into  the 
firm.  The  partners  in  the  old  firm  still  retain  a 
principal  interest  in  the  business,  but  they  are 
subject  to  the  control  of  the  shareholders. 
304 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

Shares  in  a  Goshikwaisha  can  only  be  bought 
and  sold  with  the  sanction  of  the  other  share- 
holders. This  institution  is  peculiar  to  Japan. 

Kabushikiwaisha,  or  joint-stock  companies, 
differ  from  the  Goshikwaisha  in  the  fact  that 
their  officers  are  elective  at  a  general  meeting  of 
shareholders,  and  the  shares  may  be  bought  or 
sold  without  the  sanction  of  the  other  members. 
These  companies  are  also  far  more  open  to  gov- 
ernment interference.  The  Department  of  Com- 
merce and  Agriculture,  which  has  cognizance  of 
mercantile  affairs,  can  order  an  investigation  of 
the  affairs  of  a  company  at  any  time,  of  its  own 
motion  ;  and  the  district  court  can,  on  the  requi- 
sition of  shareholders  representing  one-fifth  of 
the  capital,  order  a  similar  inquiry.  The  officials 
thus  appointed  by  the  ministry  or  local  court 
have  very  full  powers  of  inspection  and  investi- 
gation. 

Two  codes  of  commercial  law  have  been  in 
use  since  the  reformation.  The  first  was  com- 
piled by  an  American  professor  in  the  university 
and  was  based  entirely  upon  European  prece- 
dents. It  met  with  such  opposition  from  the 
merchants  and  bankers  that  much  of  it  had  to 
be  withdrawn  and  a  new  code  was  prepared  by  a 
commission  which  is  still  in  session  revising  the 
other  laws  of  the  country.  The  most  important 
title  in  the  commercial  code  is  that  relating  to 
bankruptcy. 

305 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

When*  prpceedings  in  bankruptcy  have  been 
instituted  against  a  debtor  the  court  appoints  an 
assignee  who  has  authority  to  act  until  the 
whole  business  is  settled  according  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  law.  When  once  the  assignee 
has  been  appointed  the  debtor  loses  a  large  de- 
gree of  his  personal  liberty.  He  cannot  change 
his  residence  without  the  permission  of  the 
court ;  he  is  obliged  to  appear  whenever  re- 
quired ;  he  may  be  placed  under  surveillance, 
and  required  to  give  bail,  failing  which  he  may  be 
kept  in  detention.  He  is  incapable  of  all  com- 
mercial transactions ;  cannot  hold  any  office  of 
trust  or  emolument  in  any  business  house  or 
company  ;  he  cannot  alienate  his  personal  prop- 
erty; even  his  correspondence  and  telegrams 
may  be  opened  and  read  by  the  assignee.  The 
debtor  may,  however,  postpone  bankruptcy  pro- 
ceedings by  obtaining  a  shiharai  yuo  (decree  of 
postponement);  but  in  this  case  he  must  be  able 
to  show  that  his  difficulties  are  only  temporary, 
and  that,  with  time,  he  can  succeed  in  extrica- 
ting himself.  The  assignee  may  sell  all  the  prop- 
erty owned  by  the  bankrupt,  real  and  personal, 
at  auction  or  otherwise,  collect  all  his  bills  pay- 
able for  their  full  amount  or  by  compromise, 
and  divide  the  proceeds  among  the  creditors, 
pro  rata,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  court. 

The  postal  savings  bank  has  been  a  great 
success  in  Japan,  and  is  found  to  be  a  most  use- 
306 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

ful  and  convenient  method  of  encouraging 
economy  among  the  laboring  classes.  In  1893 
there  were  989,092  depositors  out  of  a  total  of 
forty-one  million  population  ;  in  1894  the  num- 
ber increased  to  1,076,000,  and  in  1895,  I»I39»- 
331.  The  amount  of  the  deposits  in  1893  were 
$24,586,586;  in  1894,  $26,082,789,  and  in  1895, 
$26,646,102. 

Mr.  Yesabro  Wooyeno  of  the  Kansai  Trading 
company  of  Kyoto  and  New  York  city  is  one  of 
the  largest  native  dealers  in  miscellaneous  Amer- 
ican merchandise  in  the  empire.  He  does  both 
an  exporting  and  importing  business,  dividing 
his  time  between  the  two  countries,  and  his  ex- 
perience qualifies  him  to  speak  intelligently  of 
the  condition  and  obstacles  of  trade.  Mr.  Woo- 
yeno kindly  explained  to  me  the  difficulties  he 
had  met  with  in  his  endeavors  to  extend  the 
market  for  American  manufactured  articles  in 
Japan.  He  said  there  was  no  question  as  to  the 
superiority  of  a  large  class  of  our  goods.  The 
French  made  better  gloves,  ribbons,  toys  and 
fancy  articles,  and  in  some  products  the  English 
manufacturers  surpassed  those  of  the  United 
States,  but  the  people  of  Japan  have  learned  by 
experience  that  any  article  manufactured  in  the 
latter  country  is  of  a  higher  grade  in  quality 
than  can  be  found  elsewhere,  and  are  usually 
willing  to  pay  a  little  more  for  it  on  that  account. 
There  is  not  so  great  a  difference  in  prices,  how- 
307 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

ever,  as  people  generally  suppose,  and  that  would 
not  be  a  serious  obstacle  were  freights  from  New 
York  and  interior  points  in  the  United  States  as 
low  as  those  from  Europe.  That,  Mr.  Wooyeno 
said,  was  the  serious  feature  of  the  commercial 
problem,  and  while  the  market  for  manufactured 
goods  in  Japan  was  already  limited,  and  would 
be  growing  smaller  every  year,  there  was  and 
would  be  a  steady  demand  for  foreign  machin- 
ery which  might  be  supplied  from  the  United 
States  if  transportation  charges  were  anywhere 
near  as  low  as  from  Europe. 

The  market  in  Japan  for  raw  materials,  prin- 
cipally cotton  and  iron,  was  very  large,  and 
would  soon  be  enormous,  but  strange  to  say,  it 
is  the  habit  of  Japanese  factory  managers  to 
buy  raw  material  in  Liverpool  and  London  than 
in  the  United  States.  Mr.  Wooyeno  cannot  ex- 
plain why,  but  American  cotton  can  be  pur- 
chased and  shipped  from  Liverpool  to  Osaka  for 
several  cents  a  pound  less  than  from  any  port  in 
the  United  States,  and  pay  a  profit  to  the  British 
middlemen  at  the  same  time.  The  difference  is 
sufficient  to  represent  a  considerable  dividend 
in  a  year's  business.  For  example,  the  rate  on 
baled  cotton  from  St.  Louis  to  Osaka  by  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railway  and  Steamship  line  is 
$24  a  ton,  and  by  the  Pacific  Mail  $28  a  ton, 
whether  it  goes  by  railway  overland  or  from  New 
Orleans  via  Panama  up  the  Pacific  coast  to 
308 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

San  Francisco :  while  the  rate  from  London  to 
Osaka  is  only  about  $10  a  ton  on  the  regular 
lines  of  steamers  and  much  less  than  that  by 
tramps.  An  immense  amount  of  cotton  is 
shipped  from  the  Atlantic  ports  of  the  United 
States  to  Japan  by  way  of  Liverpool  and  London 
which  never  leaves  the  steamer.  It  is  originally 
billed  to  British  ports  and  there  resold  to  the 
agents  of  the  Osaka  mills. 

Mr.  Wooyeno  does  not  know  of  any  attempt 
to  sell  direct  from  the  United  States  to  the  Osaka 
manufacturers,  although  he  thinks  it  would  be  a 
very  profitable  business.  And  there  does  not 
seem  to  be  any  reason  why  cotton  may  not  be 
shipped  by  steamers,  or  sailing  vessels,  from  the 
Atlantic  and  gulf  ports  of  the  United  States,  just 
as  kerosene  oil  is  sent  from  New  York  and  Phil- 
adelphia. The  Standard  Oil  company  has  a 
regular  line  of  iron  sailing  vessels,  carrying  3,000 
and  4,000  tons  each,  which  are  dispatched  at 
frequent  intervals  for  the  Japanese  and  Chinese 
ports,  and  bring  back  tea,  silk  and  rice  as  a  re- 
turn cargo.  The  charter  rates  for  such  vessels 
for  either  cotton  or  iron  would  be  from  $4  to  $6 
a  ton,  and  the  difference  between  those  rates 
and  the  steamship  charges  would  make  a  man 
rich  very  soon. 

Nobody  knows  why  this  has  not  been  done. 
It  is  a  commercial  phenomenon  that  our  cotton 
factors  have  not  attempted  a  direct  trade  with 
309 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

consumers  in  Japan.  The  shipment  of  miscella- 
neous goods  by  sailing  vessels  is  a  different  mat- 
ter, for  unless  a  man  has  a  full  cargo  and  can 
charter  a  vessel  he  is  subject  to  great  delay  and 
inconvenience.  He  has  to  wait  until  a  ship  is 
coming  his  way,  or  find  some  one  else  to  join 
him  in  the  charter. 

It  is  easier  to  ship  goods  to  China  by  sailing 
vessels  than  to  Japan,  because  there  is  a  steady 
demand  for  American  shirtings,  sheetings  and 
drillings  in  the  former  country,  and  the  New 
York  agents  and  the  New  England  mills  are 
almost  always  willing  to  furnish  a  part  of  a 
cargo. 

The  average  rate  of  freight  on  general  mer- 
chandise from  New  York  and  Philadelphia  to 
Yokohama  by  sea  and  rail  via  San  Francisco, 
Tacoma  or  Vancouver  is  from  $35  to  $50  a  ton, 
and  by  Panama  from  $30  to  $40  a  ton.  The 
transportation  companies  reserve  the  option  to 
charge  by  weight  or  measurement,  whichever 
amounts  to  the  most.  On  heavy  machinery  they 
charge  by  weight.  On  light  goods  in  wooden 
cases  they  charge  by  measurement,  forty  cubic 
feet  to  a  ton — that  is,  a  package  about  three  and 
a  half  feet  square. 

The  same  goods  may  be  shipped  from  Eng- 
land for  from  thirty-five  to  fifty  shillings  or 
about  one-fourth  the  charges  from  the  United 
States  on  the  regular  steamers,  and  for  even  less 
310 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

by  tramps  that  come  over  here  for  silk  and  tea. 
From  Hamburg  the  rates  are  about  the  same, 
and  from  Marseilles  they  are  less. 

There  are  often  tramp  steamers  at  New  York 
loading  for  Japan,  which  carry  heavy  machinery 
for  $8,  $10  and  $15  a  ton,  according  to  the  class 
of  goods  and  the  demand.  The  lowest  rate  of 
freight  Mr.  Wooyeno  ever  paid  from  New  York 
was  nineteen  shillings  on  a  sailing  vessel.  His 
goods  were  six  months  in  coming,  but  arrived 
in  excellent  order. 

The  freights  from  Japan  to  the  United  States 
are  much  more  reasonable.  By  San  Francisco 
they  were  formerly  $14  and  $16  a  ton  on  gen- 
eral merchandise,  but  since  the  Northern  Pacific 
and  the  Oregon  Railway  and  Navigation  com- 
pany put  on  steamers  they  have  been  reduced 
to  $11.  The  rates  to  London  on  the  same 
classes  of  goods  are  from  thirty  to  forty  shillings, 
or  from  $8  to  $10  a  ton;  to  Hamburg  they  are 
about  the  same  and  to  Marseilles  forty  francs. 
Tramps  and  sailing  vessels  that  take  out  oil  will 
accept  cargoes  to  New  York  at  very  low  prices, 
often  $5  and  $6  a  ton. 

The  rate  on  raw  silk  to  New  York,  London, 
Marseilles  and  Hamburg  is  about  the  same  on 
all  the  regular  steamship  lines,  usually  $4  per 
hundredweight.  On  tramp  steamers  and  sailing 
vessels  it  is  much  cheaper.  Silk  goods  by  San 
Francisco  or  Vancouver  to  Chicago  and  New 
3n 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

York  are  charged  $2.50  per  hundredweight,  and 
one  per  cent  of  their  value.  The  rate  to  Lon- 
don by  sea  is  one  and  one-fourth  per  cent  of 
their  value  and  to  Marseilles  about  the  same. 
The  rate  on  tea  to  New  York  and  Chicago  via 
San  Francisco  and  Vancouver  is  $8  per  ton  of 
forty  cubic  feet.  A  great  deal  is  carried  by 
tramps  and  sailing  vessels,  which  usually  charge 
three-fourths  of  a  cent  per  pound.  The  rate  to 
London  is  fifty  shillings  a  ton  and  to  Marseilles 
fifty  francs. 

Mr.  Wooyeno  imports  a  great  deal  of  tobacco 
leaf  and  cigarettes  from  the  United  States,  and 
the  demand  is  increasing  every  year.  He  also 
imports  lead  pencils,  celluloid  articles  and  nov- 
elties of  all  kinds. 

"A  great  many  more  manufactured  goods 
might  be  sold  in  Japan,"  said  Mr.  Wooyeno, 
"if  the  manufacturers  would  study  the  market 
carefully  and  make  modifications  in  them  to 
comply  with  the  peculiarities  of  the  people.  I 
tried  to  introduce  stoves  into  Japan,  both  for 
coal  and  oil,  but  they  are  not  popular.  The 
people  prefer  charcoal.  I  have  also  failed  to 
sell  cotton  and  woolen  goods  and  hats  and  caps. 
The  American  articles  are  of  finer  quality,  but 
the  French  and  English  seem  to  suit  the  taste  of 
the  people  better  and  sell  their  goods  cheaper. 
I  have  sold  a  good  deal  of  railway  material,  but 
five  or  six  years  ago  the  government  adopted  the 

312 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

English  system  of  railways  and  has  since  bought 
all  its  supplies  in  Great  Britain.  Some  of  the 
private  companies  purchased  locomotives  from 
the  Baldwin  company  of  Philadelphia,  but  they 
are  now  making  their  own  on  the  Baldwin  pat- 
ents. The  material  comes  from  England  and 
some  of  the  finer  parts  from  the  United  States. 
In  the  course  ot  a  few  years  Japan  will  supply 
herself  with  all  the  railway  material  needed. 

"Yes,  there  are  plenty  of  profitable  oppor- 
tunities for  Americans  to  enter  into  manufactur- 
ing enterprises  in  Japan,"  said  Mr.  Wooyeno. 
"Our  labor  is  good  and  cheap,  but  we  must  have 
foreign  superintendents.  When  a  manager  has 
been  educated  abroad  he  does  very  well,  but 
men  of  home  education  require  a  long  time  to 
fit  themselves  to  superintend  mechanical  appar- 
atus, and  before  Japan  can  become  a  manufac- 
turing nation  we  must  not  only  have  foreign 
machinery,  but  foreigners  to  superintend  its 
operation  and  to  teach  our  operatives. 

"American  capital,  if  wisely  invested  here,  is 
just  as  safe  as  in  the  United  States,  and  will  pay 
much  larger  dividends.  The  investors,  however, 
should  be  very  careful  whom  they  enter  into 
partnership  with,  for  we  have  our  share  of  ras- 
cals, and  they  are  always  on  the  lookout  for 
victims.  It  is  only  necessary  to  operate  through 
well-established  banks  and  other  reputable  agen- 
cies. The  average  of  commercial  honesty  is  as 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

high  in  Japan  as  it  is  anywhere  else  in  the  world, 
but  when  a  foreigner  is  swindled  he  makes  such 
a  fuss  about  it  that  the  facts  are  always  well  ad- 
vertised. A  great  many  men  come  here  from 
foreign  countries  expecting  to  get  rich  rapidly 
by  speculative  transactions.  They  take  large 
risks  and  they  engage  with  unreliable  men,  and 
as  a  natural  consequence  they  lose  their  money. 
Then  they  go  home  and  blame  the  entire  popu- 
lation of  Japan  for  their  misfortune. 

"The  great  difficulty  in  manufacturing  silk 
piece  goods  in  Japan,"  said  Mr.  Wooyeno,  "is 
that  the  fashions  change  so  often.  The  French 
manufacturers  set  the  styles,  and  it  takes  a  long 
time  to  get  the  Japanese  weavers,  who  generally 
work  in  their  own  households,  to  adopt  them. 
They  are  very  slow  and  conservative,  and  when 
they  set  their  looms  for  a  certain  pattern  they 
don't  want  to  change  them.  The  only  way  to 
remedy  this  is  to  establish  silk  factories  under 
the  direction  of  foreign  superintendents  with 
modern  looms. 

"No,  I  do  not  think  there  would  be  any 
trouble  with  the  guilds,  although  the  working- 
men  of  Japan  are  sure  to  organize  for  self-pro- 
tection and  to  promote  their  mutual  welfare. 
When  they  are  thoroughly  trained  to  handle 
modern  machinery  they  will  naturally  demand 
advanced  pay,  but  labor  is  so  abundant  here  and 
the  cost  of  living  so  small,  that  wages  will  never 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

be  as  high  as  they  are  in  the  United  States  or 
Europe. 

"Yes,  the  working  people  are  gradually  get- 
ting modern  ideas  through  the  newspapers,  and 
agitators  are  beginning  to  appear  among  them 
from  the  soshi  class,  who  are  drifting  toward  so- 
cialism. The  honest,  industrious  laborers  have 
always  had  a  contempt  for  the  soshi,  because 
they  are  idle,  worthless  vagabonds.  Thus  far 
their  influence  has  been  very  small,  and  there  is 
nothing  to  fear  from  them  at  present,  but  when- 
ever any  labor  trouble  or  dissatisfaction  occurs 
they  are  likely  to  interfere  and  increase  it. 

"No,  I  do  not  think  the  industrial  arts  of 
Japan  are  in  a  state  of  decay.  The  artists  now 
living  are  doing  just  as  good  work  as  was  ever 
done,  but  less  of  it.  The  demand  for  first-class 
cloisenne,  ceramics  and  bronze  work  is  limited, 
while  the  market  for  the  cheaper  qualities  is 
large  and  profitable.  It  is,  therefore,  perfectly 
natural  that  the  artists  should  take  advantage  of 
that  fact  and  produce  the  kind  of  goods  that 
will  bring  them  money  instead  of  great  reputa- 
tion. But  we  have  many  men  in  Japan  to-day 
who  can  produce  as  fine  work  as  was  ever  cre- 
ated, if  any  one  will  give  them  an  order." 

A  great  deal  of  commotion  was  excited  in 
commercial  circles  in  the  summer  of  1895  by  an 
incident  of  dishonest  dealing  that  will  furnish 
the  critics  of  Japan  with  another  illustration  to 

315 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

point  their  morals  and  adorn  their  tales.  It  is 
very  unfortunate  that  it  should  happen  just 
when  an  effort  was  being  made  to  build  up  a 
foreign  trade  and  to  make  a  series  of  treaties 
with  the  European  powers,  under  which  Japan 
shall  be  recognized  as  a  fully  civilized  country, 
capable  of  conducting  her  international  relations 
according  to  the  highest  standard  of  morality 
and  administering  impartial  justice  in  her  courts. 
It  is  fortunate  at  the  same  time  that  the  Japa- 
nese judges  in  this  particular  instance  demon- 
strated that  they  can  do  justice  even  in  disputes 
between  foreigners  and  their  fellow-citizens,  but 
the  record  of  the  native  merchants  for  commer- 
cial integrity  has  received  a  dark  blot  that  will 
require  many  years  to  efface. 

Mr.  Kimura,  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in 
Japan,  a  large  manufacturer,  the  managing 
director  of  the  Specie  Bank,  one  of  the  largest 
and  best  managed  financial  institutions  in  the 
country,  and  interested  in  other  extensive  enter- 
prises, made  a  contract  to  purchase  100  bales  of 
yarn  from  Cornes  &  Co.,  an  English  firm,  at  a 
certain  price.  Before  the  goods  arrived  from 
England  the  price  fell,  and  the  purchaser  de- 
clined to  accept  them  when  offered,  pleading 
a  technicality.  Cornes  &  Co.  parleyed  awhile 
and  then  went  into  court,  where  judgment  was 
rendered  for  the  plaintiff,  requiring  the  defend- 
ant to  accept  the  100  bales  and  pay  the  full 
316 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

price  for  them,  with  insurance  and  warehouse 
charges  and  interest  to  date  of  delivery.  It  was 
plain  to  the  court,  as  it  was  to  everybody  else 
familiar  with  the  facts,  that  Mr.  Kimura  wanted 
to  get  out  of  a  bad  bargain,  and  that  his  tech- 
nical objections  to  accepting  the  goods  were 
invented  for  that  purpose.  For  that  reason  the 
court  threw  out  a  lot  of  testimony  offered  by 
the  defendant  to  sustain  his  position.  Justice 
is  swift  and  sure  in  Japan,  and  the  courts  apply 
the  rules  of  common  sense  more  generally  than 
what  we  call  the  rules  of  evidence. 

Although  the  court  decided  against  him,  Mr. 
Kimura  still  declined  to  pay  for  the  goods,  and 
sent  a  committee  from  the  guild  of  yarn  and 
woven  goods  dealers  to  Messrs.  Cornes  &  Co., 
offering  to  take  one-half  of  the  invoice  and 
divide  with  them  the  losses  that  were  occasioned 
by  the  reduction  in  the  price  of  yarn.  Cornes 
&  Co.  declined  to  accept  any  such  compromise 
or  to  consider  any  proposition  beyond  the  strict 
fulfillment  of  the  contract,  whereupon  the  com- 
mittee from  the  guild  notified  them  that  if  they 
insisted  upon  the  enforcement  of  the  judgment 
of  the  court  they  might  expect  no  further  busi- 
ness with  native  dealers  in  yarns  and  woven 
goods.  In  other  words,  a  boycott  was  declared. 

This  got  into  the  newspapers  and  created  a 
great  deal  of  controversy  and  excitement  in 
commercial  circles,  for,  as  one  newspaper  ex- 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

pressed  it,  if  foreign  merchants  are  to  be  boy- 
cotted because  they  insist  upon  native  mer- 
chants carrying  out  their  contracts  the  new 
treaties  might  as  well  be  cancelled  and  all  the 
foreign  merchants  had  better  close  their  doors. 
Many  of  the  native  newspapers  attacked  Ki- 
mura  and  the  yarn  dealers'  guild  savagely,  and 
declared  that  they  were  unfit  representatives 
of  the  commercial  classes  of  Japan,  and  most 
of  the  press,  to  the  credit  of  the  country,  con- 
demned the  proceedings  as  dishonorable  and 
called  upon  parliament  to  enact  a  law  prohibit- 
ing the  despicable  expedient  of  boycotting. 

Through  official  influence,  and  perhaps  be- 
cause the  yarn-dealers  found  public  opinion  was 
so  generally  against  them,  the  guild  negotiated 
a  compromise  under  which  Mr.  Kimura  agreed 
to  take  the  yarn  at  the  original  contract  price, 
and  Cornes  &  Co.  agreed  to  pay  the  cost 
of  the  litigation,  the  warehouse  fees,  insurance 
and  other  charges.  The  boycott  was  declared 
off,  but  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  the  people 
of  Japan  hear  the  last  of  it. 

A  prominent  official  of  the  government,  while 
lamenting  the  dishonorable  attempt  of  so  prom- 
it  anen  man  as  Mr.  Kimura  to  shoulder  his 
losses  in  an  ordinary  commercial  transaction 
upon  a  foreigner,  because  of  the  injury  to  the 
credit  of  the  country,  at  the  same  time  insisted 
that  he  was  simply  repeating  an  old  trick  that 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

had  been  played  upon  the  Japanese  by  English- 
men a  great  many  times. 

"When  foreigners  first  came  into  this  country 
to  do  business,"  said  he,  "  such  things  were  of 
frequent  occurrence,  and  the  Japanese  were 
always  the  victims.  The  English  were  often 
dishonorable  in  their  commercial  transactions, 
and  arbitrary  and  overbearing  in  their  manners. 
When  they  found  themselves  on  the  wrong  side 
of  a  bargain  they  would  usually  refuse  to  carry 
it  out,  and  were  always  backed  up  by  Sir  Harry 
Parkes,  the  British  minister,  and  a  fleet  of  gun- 
1  boats.  Sir  Harry  was  the  most  vigorous  and 
conspicuous  foreigner  in  the  east  in  those  days 
and  served  as  her  majesty's  minister  both  in 
China  and  Japan.  He  was  what  you  call  a  bull- 
dozer ;  he  was  always  on  the  side  of  the  Eng- 
lishman, right  or  wrong,  and  always  insisted 
upon  having  things  his  own  way,  in  which  he 
usually  succeeded,  because  his  government  kept 
a  big  fleet  of  gunboats  to  emphasize  his  views. 
I  suppose  there  were  hundreds  of  cases  similar 
to  that  of  Kimura  vs.  Cornes,  and  they  were  all 
decided  in  favor  of  the  Englishmen.  Other 
nationalities  had  occasional  disputes,  but  the 
British  had  the  most  of  them." 

"  This  led  to  a  very  bitter  feeling  between 
foreign  and  native  merchants,  which  still  exists 
to  a  considerable  degree,  although  it  has  been 
greatly  modified.  As  a  rule  the  foreign  mer- 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

chants  stand  together  when  one  of  their  number 
has  trouble,  and  the  yarn-dealers'  guild  was 
simply  following  their  example.  Mind  you,  I 
do  not  justify  it  in  the  slightest  degree.  I  am 
only  giving  you  the  reasons  why  the  present  un- 
fortunate case  occurred,  and  I  am  glad  that  pub- 
lic opinion  and  the  newspapers  have  demon- 
strated that  such  transactions  are  not  popular  in 
Japan." 

About  the  same  time  we  had  a  forcible  dem- 
onstration of  the  causes  why  the  United  States 
has  so  small  a  share  of  the  import  trade  of 
Japan.  During  the  last  ten  years  we  have  pur- 
chased from  Japan  raw  material  to  the  value  of 
264,417,237  yen,  and  have  sold  her  merchandise 
to  the  value  of  57,960,908  yen.  At  the  same 
time  Great  Britain  has  sold  Japan  merchandise 
to  the  value  of  236,415,892  yen,  and  has  pur- 
chased of  her  only  52,641,903  yen  worth  of  her 
products.  A  yen  is  worth  about  half  a  dollar. 
The  reason  of  this  is  that  Englishmen  are  will- 
ing to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  market,  and 
observe  the  arbitrary  conditions  of  the  trade, 
while  our  people  insist  that  the  Japanese  shall 
adopt  our  methods  and  accept  our  conditions. 
In  other  words,  the  Europeans  have  been  will- 
ing to  do  business  upon  the  terms  of  the  Japa- 
nese, while  the  Americans  have  insisted  upon 
fixing  the  terms  to  suit  themselves. 

Here  is  an  illustration  of  what  has  happened 
320 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

continually  for  years :  The  city  of  Tokyo  is  in- 
troducing a  modern  system  of  waterworks  and 
will  require  pumping  machinery  costing  about 
$1,500,000  and  about  50,000  tons  of  iron  pipe, 
worth  about  as  much  more.  A  company  of  local 
capitalists  was  organized  to  make  the  pipe  and 
put  up  a  plant  on  the  banks  of  the  river  near 
Tokyo.  The  machinery  was  all  first-class,  of 
English  manufacture,  and  about  $300,000  was 
invested.  But  the  pipe  they  turned  out  proved 
to  be  poor  stuff  and  very  expensive.  Nearly 
half  of  it  was  condemned  as  worthless,  which 
made  the  remainder  cost  from  $50  to  $80  a  ton, 
while  a  much  superior  quality  could  be  imported 
for  $30.  This  was  due  to  the  poor  material  used 
and  to  the  ignorance  -and  inexperience  of  the 
managers  and  the  men  employed.  The  ma- 
chinery was  set  up  and  put  in  operation  by  a 
young  engineer  who  graduated  from  the  Troy 
polytechnic  school,  but  had  never  worked  in  a 
foundry,  and  the  superintendent  and  his  assist- 
ants— in  fact,  all  hands  about  the  place — under- 
took to  make  pipe  as  a  cook  would  make  a  cake 
from  a  description  of  the  process  they  found  in 
a  book.  Not  one  of  them  had  ever  seen  the 
operation. 

The  local  enterprise  having  failed,  the  city 
authorities  called  for  bids  from  pipe  manufac- 
turers in  England,  Scotland,   France,   Germany, 
Belgium  and  the  United  States  upon  carefully 
321 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

prepared  specifications.  Three  American  firms 
were  asked  to  submit  proposals,  but  only  one  in 
each  of  the  others.  One  of  the  firms  in  our 
country,  a  Philadelphia  concern,  declined  to 
consider  the  matter  at  all.  Another  manufac- 
turer made  estimates,  but  did  not  submit  them, 
while  the  third  was  the  lowest  bidder  and  was 
awarded  the  contract,  but  he  refused  to  make  a 
deposit  of  $40,000,  or  10  per  cent  of  the  con- 
tract, as  earnest  money,  to  be  forfeited  in  case 
of  his  failure  to  fulfill  the  terms.  The  contract 
was  therefore  awarded  to  an  iron  company  at 
Liege,  Belgium,  at  a  price  which  gave  them  an 
enormous  profit  compared  with  what  American 
manufacturers  are  in  the  habit  of  enjoying 
when  they  do  public  work. 

The  second  letting,  for  14,000  tons,  soon  fol- 
lowed. Although  the  city  officials  were  dis- 
gusted at  the  lack  of  faith  shown  by  the  Ameri- 
can firm  that  was  awarded  the  last  contract,  they 
invited  the  same  people  to  bid  again,  and  the 
same  bidder,  an  Alabama  company,  was  by  far 
the  lowest  again,  which  shows  that  we  can  com- 
pete in  prices  with  the  world.  But  this  propo- 
sal was  rejected  without  ceremony  or  considera- 
tion, because  it  did  not  comply  with  the  specifi- 
cations. It  stipulated  that  the  pipe  should  be 
inspected,  delivered  and  paid  for  before  it  left 
the  United  States.  Another  American  company 
requested  that  the  specifications  be  changed  to 
322 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

read  that  way,  but  the  city  authorities  politely 
declined  to  make  such  a  concession.  They  ex- 
plained that  whenever  the  government  of  Japan 
had  purchased  foreign  supplies  during  the  last 
twenty-five  years  it  had  always  been  upon  the 
same  terms  and  conditions — that  is,  payment  in 
cash  within  three  days  after  inspection  and  de- 
livery in  that  country,  and  it  could  not  change 
its  methods  without  much  trouble  and  expense. 
If  it  accepted  the  pipe  in  America  it  would  be 
compelled  to  send  agents  and  inspectors  over 
there  and  pay  some  commission  house  for  look- 
ing after  the  chartering  of  vessels  and  attending 
to  the  details  of  shipping. 

Both  of  the  American  firms  invited  to  submit 
proposals  sent  agents  to  Japan  to  make  inquiries. 
One  of  these  agents  was  the  vice-president  of 
the  company  he  represented,  and  he  was  assisted 
by  a  representative  of  their  New  York  selling 
agents,  who  do  a  large  export  business.  These 
gentlemen  made  a  thorough  investigation  and 
reported  strongly  in  favor  of  securing  the  con- 
tract if  possible  on  any  terms,  not  only  because 
they  believed  there  was  a  large  profit  in  it,  but 
also,  what  was  more  important,  that  it  would 
give  them  an  advantage  in  securing  future  busi- 
ness in  Japan,  because  other  cities  are  certain  to 
follow  the  example  of  Tokyo  in  establishing 
water  works  and  other  modern  improvements. 

The  American  minister,  the  American  con- 

323 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

sul-general  .and  all  the  bankers  and  business 
men  they  talked  with  told  them  that  the  city  of 
Tokyo  had  as  good  a  credit  as  Boston  or  Berlin, 
that  there  was  not  the  slightest  risk  of  securing 
payment  if  the  contract  was  complied  with,  and 
that  there  was  a  very  strong  desire  on  the  part 
of  the  government  to  give  the  business  to  an 
American  firm.  The  minister  of  public  works 
said  that  preference  would  be  given  to  Ameri- 
can bidders  wherever  it  was  possible,  and  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  all  three  of  the  firms  invi- 
ted would  submit  proposals. 

But  the  directors  of  the  two  companies  at 
home  lacked  confidence  in  the  reports  of  their 
agents,  or  for  some  other  reason  both  declined 
to  comply  with  the  specifications.  One  of  them, 
as  I  have  said,  refused  to  submit  any  bid  what- 
ever unless  the  contract  could  provide  for  deliv- 
ery and  payment  in  the  United  States,  but  a 
proposal  was  submitted  in  its  behalf  by  a  firm 
of  American  merchants  in  Yokohama  who  as- 
sumed all  responsibility.  The  second  American 
firm  submitted  a  bid  for  delivery  at  Pensacola, 
Newport  News,  or  any  Atlantic  or  gulf  port, 
although  it  was  aware  of  the  refusal  to  change 
the  specifications  in  this  respect. 

Its  bid  was  the  lowest  submitted  —  nearly 
twenty  per  cent  lower  than  any  other — but  the 
committee  of  the  common  council  in  charge  of 

324 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

the  business  threw  it  out  without  further  exami- 
nation, and  felt  that  it  was  a  reflection  upon 
their  integrity. 

A  prominent  Japanese  official  commenting 
upon  this  remarked  that  the  government  had 
the  kindliest  feelings  toward  the  United  States, 
and  was  anxious  to  do  everything  in  its  power 
to  promote  trade  between  the  two  countries. 
This  sentiment,  he  said,  was  thoroughly  under- 
stood by  all  Americans  who  had  ever  done  busi- 
ness in  Japan  or  had  even  visited  that  country. 
Therefore  it  was  exasperating  to  their  self-respect 
and  sense  of  justice  to  have  two  prominent 
American  manufacturers,  who  were  asked  to 
accept  this  contract,  imply  by  the  conditions 
they  exacted  that  the  city  of  Tokyo  might 
possibly  refuse  to  pay  for  the  pipe  after  it  was 
delivered.  He  said  there  had  never  been  a 
question  or  a  criticism  of  the  honesty  or  fair- 
ness of  Japanese  officials  in  connection  with 
their  purchases  or  their  public  works,  and  the 
manufacturers  of  America  were  the  only  ones 
who  had  ever  expressed  a  doubt  on  that  sub- 
ject. 

"Your  people  can  have  this  contract  if  they 
want  it,"  he  said,  "  and  it  amounts  to  several 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  And  there  are  other 
contracts  of  the  same  sort  to  be  let  in  the  future 
which  they  can  also  have.  Our  people  have 


325 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

offered  to  give  them  advantages  over  bidders 
from  every  other  country,  but  it  is  not  quite 
complimentary  to  our  honesty  nor  is  it  very 
encouraging  to  our  efforts  to  build  up  a  trade 
with  your  country  to  have  your  manufacturers 
insinuate  that  we  do  not  intend  to  pay  for  the 
goods  we  order." 

There  were  bidders  from  England,  Scotland, 
Germany,  France  and  Belgium  who  were  willing 
to  accept  all  conditions  and  requirements.  The 
Americans  were  the  only  ones  who  suggested 
any  change,  and  the  contract  was  let  to  the  low- 
est European  bidder — a  firm  at  Glasgow. 

Mr.  J.  R.  Morse,  a  prominent  American  mer- 
chant in  Yokohama,  was  sent  to  the  United  States 
some  years  ago  to  secure  bids  for  nearly  $1,000,- 
ooo  worth  of  steel  railway  bridges.  He  was  not 
permitted  to  close  contracts,  but  was  empowered 
to  obtain  estimates  to  be  submitted  to  the  Japan- 
ese government,  which  intended  to  compare 
them  with  those  from  other  countries;  but  Mr. 
Morse  was  authorized  to  promise  that  American 
manufacturers  would  receive  the  business  if  their 
bids  were  not  more  than  25  per  cent  higher  than 
those  of  England,  Germany  and  Belgium.  He 
visited  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburg,  Cleve- 
land, Chicago  and  other  cities,  but  the  only 
bridge-builders  he  was  able  to  persuade  to  offer 
estimates  were  at  San  Francisco,  and  their  prices 


326 


Concerning  Trade  and  Investments 

were  very  much  higher  than  the  lowest  received 
from  Europe. 

Several  American  companies  were  willing  to 
prepare  bids  provided  Mr.  Morse  would  guaran- 
tee them  the  work.  Others  refused  to  do  so 
unless  a  deposit  of  money  was  made  to  secure 
them  against  the  loss  of  their  time  and  trouble. 
Still  more  demanded  that  the  specifications  and 
terms  of  the  contract  be  changed  to  meet  their 
wishes.  In  other  words  they  insisted  upon  fur- 
nishing such  bridges  as  they  pleased  and  not 
such  as  the  Japanese  government  wanted,  and 
they  endeavored  to  convince  Mr.  Morse  that  the 
Japanese  did  not  know  what  was  good  for  them. 
Nearly  every  firm  that  was  approached  on  the 
subject  required  that  the  bridges  should  be  in- 
spected, accepted  and  paid  for  at  the  factories 
in  the  United  States,  and  not  upon  delivery  in 
Japan,  as  the  specifications  stated.  In  other 
words  they  expressed  a  doubt  of  the  good  faith 
and  responsibility  of  the  Japanese  government 
which  was  very  embarrassing  to  Mr.  Morse  when 
he  came  to  make  his  report.  No  such  objections 
were  found  in  Europe.  There  was  not  a  manu- 
facturer in  England,  Germany  or  Belgium  that 
did  not  jump  at  the  contract,  and  it  was  finally 
let  to  a  British  company. 

The  American  merchants  in  Yokohama  say 
that  this  is  not  an  unusual  experience.  Similar 


327 


The  Yankees  of  the  East 

cases  are  occurring  all  the  time.  It  is  the  invari- 
able habit  of  the  American  manufacturer  who  is 
offered  business  in  Japan  to  imply,  if  he  does 
not  express,  a  doubt  of  the  integrity  of  the  gov- 
ernment or  the  people,  but  the  Europeans  are 
never  afraid  to  accept  any  business  they  can  get, 
and  at  very  small  margins. 


328 


PRINTED   BY  JOHN   WILSON   AND   SON   AT 

THE    UNIVERSITY    PRESS    IN    CAMBRIDGE 

DURING       JUNE       M   DCCC   XCVI.          FOR 

STONE  AND   KIMBALL 

NEW   YORK 


